Artist Statement

Craig paints in the Peak District en plein air to record the experience directly. He is inspired by the rugged and visually spectacular vistas from the famous Edges including Stanage, Curbar, Bamford and Froggatt, along with the historic views from Monsal Head and the renowned Winnats Pass. If you’re a keen walker in the area or you have driven through Hope Valley you will be familiar with many of these images. Craig values the full experience in nature and he walks to the tops of the Edges to get the best views, with his studio of oil painting paraphernalia on his back, canvas in hand, intent to root his easel to the earth with a sack of rock and guide ropes to facilitate the painting in front of the motif. Only rain and, on rare occasions, midges have stopped him. Craig uses oil paint and delights in expressing the colours in the landscape as the light shifts and scuds before him. Lively, energetic brush marks suggest this movement of light. Colour is used with instinctive confidence and the rapid application of paint describes the force inherent in the weather and the way it moves around the land. The structure of the painting with its brush marks and form, becomes a visual representation of the journey your eye takes as it travels around the landscape. The painting is complete when there is no longer any more that can be added to the painted experience or it has simply become too inclement to carry on. It is a fact that making decisions is a large part of the painting process.