Margaret Craig Explained

Margaret Craig
Nationality:American
Known For:Printmaking, Painting, Art
Training:Biology Secondary Education, BS Art, MFA Painting from University of Wisconsin-Madison, MFA Printmaking from University of Texas at San Antonio

Margaret Craig is a San Antonio-based American artist and printmaker who invented the Tar Gel™ Pressless Etching technique along with numerous other innovations.[1] [2] She holds a Master's in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was introduced to etching by Frances Myers.[3] She went on to study under Ken Little, Dennis Olsen[4] and Kent Rush[5] while working on her M.F.A. in Printmaking at the University of Texas at San Antonio. A degree in Biology influences numerous aspects of her work, which is exhibited in Texas, nationally in the USA, and internationally in Europe and Asia.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

She is former Chair, and Professor Emeritus of Printmaking and Paper at the Southwest School of Art[11] in San Antonio, TX.

Artistic approach

Art Papers declared that "Margaret Craig has used the accidents and 'moments' of painting to explore the chaotic and whimsical."[12] Informed by her biology degree and a healthy understanding of the experimental process, Craig synthesizes innovative techniques with the traditional from her painting and printmaking background, as well as other artistic disciplines. "Craig is interested in the natural processes of growth and erosion. Experimentation often results in irregularities, and the unexpected results bring delight to both maker and beholder." New Art Examiner described the work as evoking "an intensity which extends beyond the nostalgia and irony of its components."[13] "Craig's ability to allow the chance operations of natural processes helps her create her finished product, and the pure aesthetic pleasure that each of her works provokes is their main subject."[14] Her pieces are very much tied to process, a slow evolution of layers that culminates in environments and creatures that could be swimming in a drop of rainwater or thriving in an alien ecology. Bennett said that some of Craig's pieces "offer panoramic views of beautifully barren otherworlds, as if Craig were able to photograph the surface of Jupiter."[15]

Selected collections

Margaret Craig's artwork is in the permanent collections of many museums, including:

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Seale, Emily, Margaret Craig: The Glistening, San Antonio Current, San Antonio TX, July 22–28, 2010, p28.
  2. http://www.marylandprintmakers.org/newsletter.asp?id=151 Painting with Plates: Printmaking Taken to Another Level
  3. See Frances Myers: Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Award for biographical information. Retrieved 2013-07-26
  4. http://www.dennisolsen.net/ Biographical information for Dennis Olsen
  5. http://www.kentrush.com/bio.html Biographical information for Kent Rush
  6. Art in America, 2012-2013 Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, Lindsay Pollack, Ed. Jan 1, 2012.
  7. Art in America, 2011-2012 Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, Lindsay Pollack, Ed. Jan 1, 2011.
  8. Art in America, 2010-2011 Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, Marcia E. Vetrocq, Ed. Aug 31, 2010.
  9. Art in America, 2009-2010 Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, Marcia E. Vetrocq, Ed. Jan 1, 2009.
  10. Art in America, 2008-2009 Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, Marcia E. Vetrocq, Ed. Jan 1, 2008.
  11. http://www.swschool.org/ Southwest School of Art
  12. Zwartjes, Arend, The Un-Painters, Art Papers, Atlanta, GA p 28-33.
  13. Ewing, John, Biochrome, New Art Examiner Chicago Il. p60-61 Nov 2000 Vol 28#3.
  14. Zwartjes, Arend, Biochrome, Artlies, Houston TX, p104-105, Fall 2000.
  15. Bennett, Steve, Otherworldly Beauty Belies Its Toughness, San Antonio Express News, November 20, 2011, 5K.
  16. Formerly Elvehjem Museum of Art
  17. Formerly Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper