Local Artist

Craig Gilliland - Oils, Pastels

Craig Gilliland has pursued his love of art from a young age growing up in a small town in Indiana. Painting remained an important activity while earning his law degree in Virginia and practicing law in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Craig's keen sense of observation was honed as he experienced the diversity and beauty of these places.

He fell in love with the Northern California coast after a trip to The Sea Ranch in the early 1980's and purchased a house there in 1987. He built a separate studio to permit him to devote more time to his development as an artist and eventually pursue his painting full time.

Craig has had a number of successful shows at the Sea Ranch Lodge and participates frequently in Art In The Redwoods where he has received numerous awards. He has been a finalist in Artist's Magazine's All Media Competition and in the Yosemite Renaissance competition. He participates in the annual Studio Discovery Tour, and his studio on the bluffs above Black Point Beach on the Sea Ranch has become a favorite stop for many Tour patrons. He owns the Spindrift Gallery in Gualala's Cypress Village.

Craig's love of the colors, textures and golden light of northern California is his raw material. His chosen media are oils and pastels. A variety of traditional techniques are utilized in each media. Layers of pigment are carefully built to achieve an interplay of colors, some mysteriously soft while others venture into rich depths. Lively individual strokes reveal the artist's hand in each piece.

A strong sense of place is felt in his paintings, from the coast to the back roads, golden hills and vineyards of rural Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. As time passes through the days and seasons, the subtle and sometimes dramatic changes in light are captured by Craig's use of tonal relationships, giving each piece its unique mood.

Craig believes that we are deeply affected by the landscapes we experience and inhabit. He considers a painting most successful when it causes something to be revealed to the viewer or to cause the viewer to say "I know" or "I remember."

Contact Information: Craig Gilliland PO Box 109 The Sea Ranch, CA 95497 Email: spindriftgallery@aol.com Phone: 707-785-2920 Website: www.spindriftgallery.com

© copyright 2008 - all rights to the images are retained by the artist