Born in Denver, Colorado, and growing up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Sandy first displayed her work at the county fairs as a 4-H member. As she continued her education, mostly at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, she worked in many different mediums. Sculpture was always a favorite and came naturally to her. After graduating from Colorado State University in 1993 with a Degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture, Sandy began to work as a high school Art teacher in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and continued in that field for 16 years. During this time she also developed her own artistic style. She chose art education as an occupation because she loved interacting with people. Graves sees bronze sculpture as being a friendly and beautiful medium. She enjoys watching the public interact with art. With sculpture, viewers can walk around it, touch it, and become part of the artistic expression in a very personal way. Sandy’s work continually evolves in both her use of the medium, as well as the way she abstracts figures of both people and animals. Recently, Sandy was awarded and completed three significant commissions. The first was a portrait of the founder of the Lowell Whiteman School. The second was a life-size student for The Scottsbluff Public School foundation in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The third and largest is Sandy’s most current piece, created for the Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce, which has been installed on the Courthouse lawn in downtown Steamboat Springs. Sandy enjoys the interaction with individuals commissioning works that results in an expression of their individual sentiments.