Sarah Jane Szikora was born into a large family and often had to find ways to amuse herself as a child; it was because of this that she fell in love with drawing and painting. This passion soon turned into formal art study when Szikora completed a foundation art course at the Harrogate College of Art, where she studied photography, sculpture, and graphics. She then studied illustration at the Cleveland College of Art, graduating with a High National Diploma. Throughout all her years of study, Szikora was always interested in life drawing and depicting the human form.

Szikora, unable to make a living on her paintings just yet, opened up a business called “Wild Things” in 1991, where she made papier-mache models by hand, often creating animal-inspired sculptures that were up to seven feet tall. Soon, though, she returned to painting and her new work became increasingly popular, especially her gingerbread men and the “Big Girls with Attitude” pieces. The humor with which they are infused is made more potent through Szikora’s use of vibrant colors, delicate details, and expressive faces. In 1995, her agent introduced her to Washington Green and the world-renowned Halcyon Gallery. Since then, Szikora’s paintings and limited edition fine-art prints have been sold all around the United Kingdom and the world.