Sarah studied Graphic Design at Medway College of Design but after realising that what she really wanted to paint was wildlife and plants she enrolled on the final year of a Wildlife Illustration Course at the Dyfed College of Art in Carmarthen. After graduating from there with a distinction in 1979 she immediately joined Artist Partners, one of the top London Artist’s Agents.

For the next few years she illustrated all sorts of wildlife and plants for publishers, packaging and the advertising industry, working for numerous clients including The Oxford University Press, Which Magazine, Usbourne Books and I.C.I. and while there met and married fellow wildlife artist Stephen Adams.

During this period she had also been painting images for greeting cards and calendars and went on to specialize in these, along with collectors plates and giftware, allowing her more freedom in design and subject matter. Her work has appeared in the R.S.P.B. Christmas catalogue every year for the last 23 years and her paintings have been used on greetings cards for most of the major high street stores. Her paintings feature in many private collections in the U.K. and abroad with work also sold through Christies and Sothebys Auction houses. She has Botanical illustrations in the Kew Gardens archive and in January 2004  was awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for a series of 8 botanical paintings of Rhododendrons.