Terry Craig learned about abstract art when he was in first grade, and it wasn't long before he decided to create some of his own. "We were painting, (and) I just started making abstract shapes and filling up the piece of paper," he says. "The teacher came over and said, 'What is that?' and I said, 'Abstract art.'" Terry's teacher was so pleased that she framed the piece and hung it in the cafeteria.
After high school, Terry worked in a stained glass studio, where he discovered his talent for drawing. The head artist encouraged him to develop his skills, so he enrolled at the Ringling College of Art and Design.
Terry studied painting in school but he was also drawn to sculpture. He saw a balance between the two in the heavily textured paintings of Antoni Tàpies and was inspired to experiment with many different mediums to add dimension to his works. "It took a long time, maybe a couple of years, to develop the formulas and to get the materials to do what I wanted them to do," Terry says.
The artist incorporates a special mix of enamels, varnishes, marble dust and other materials in his landscape-based abstractions. Varying textures and marks emerge from the densely layered compositions, slipping in and out of view. Inspired by early abstractionist Wassily Kandinsky, Terry hopes to evoke a strong spirituality with his work. It begins with an inspiration, which is sparked by nature but comes from somewhere within.
"Occasionally I have an idea—I'll see something in nature or on a wall and I think that's a nice shape or color. But… I frequently just start with no ideas at all. I just start throwing some color around and see what happens," he says. "(It's) a very spiritual experience for me."
Terry examines the interplay between geometric forms, abstract shapes, organic surfaces and stark boundaries in his work, but he's equally as fascinated by the "happy accidents" that inevitably occur while working with unconventional materials. In the end, it's all about the unknown. "You can't really say what it is exactly but it hits you on a very deep level," Terry says. "That's what makes it important."
Education:
1991 - University of New Mexico, Experimental drawing/figure classes, Albuquerque, NM
1990 - Visual Art Access, San Francisco, CA
1984 - BFA with honors, Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL
Selected Exhibitions:
2013
- “Spectrum”, Group Show, Matthews Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
- “ State of the Art- A Survey of New Mexico Artists- Paintings and Sculpture”, Group Show, Matthews Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2008 - “Divergent Abstractions”, Group Show, Deloney Newkirk Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2007 - “Abstraction 3”, Group Show, Deloney Newkirk Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2006 - Abstraction Group Show, Deloney Newkirk Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
1993
- “The Anachronism of Beauty”, Solo Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Art, Albuquerque, NM
- 23rd Annual Works on Paper, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
- DCSW Architect’s Award for Excellence, 4th Annual Art of Albuquerque Juried Show, Albuquerque, NM
- “Visions of Excellence VII”, Juried Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM
- "8 x 8: A Collaboration of Eight Artists", 8th Street Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1992
- “Skylights and Windowpanes”, Solo Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Art, Albuquerque, NM
- 54th National Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL
- National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Exhibition ’92, Osage Beach, MO
- 2nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, San Diego, CA
- “Close To The Border”, Biennial Juried Exhibition, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
- “Visions of Excellence VI”, Juried Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM
1991
- “Recent Paintings”, Solo Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Art, Albuquerque, NM
- “Visions of Excellence V”, Juried Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM
1990 - “Harvest of Dreams”, Solo Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Arts, Albuquerque, NM
1989
- Two-person Show, Running Ridge Gallery, Santa Fe, NM and Ojai, CA
- “Crossing Cultures”, Two-person Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Arts, Albuquerque, NM
- Merit Award, Biennial Juried Exhibition, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM
1988
- “Looking Out/Looking In”, Two-person Show, Elinor Oldham Fine Arts, Albuquerque, NM
- 50th National Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL
- Autumn Exhibition, Myriad Fine Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 4th Annual Three Rivers Art Expo, San Juan College, Farmington, NM
- Santa Fe Spring Festival of the Arts, Santa Fe, NM
- Artifacts Gallery and Experimental Showroom, Group Show, Albuquerque, NM
1986
- “Word” Summer Show, Joy Moos Gallery, Miami, FL
- Grand Opening Exhibition, Whitney Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Selected Collections:
Shell Oil Corporation
L.R. Wishart Ltd., New Zealand
Sun Bank, Sarasota, FL
Ron Perlman, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Sackner, New York, NY
Arthur Klein Design, Beverly Hills, CA