By Angela Romeo
You are born and raised in New Zealand. You come to California in 1999 and fall in love with Southern California, vintage pin ups, cars, tiki, fashion, and Americana. What’s a guy to do? Develop a style that combines a love of those things. Oh, and marry a woman with boundless energy who loves to dance.
‘CraigR’ creates digital and airbrushed images. “I came here for a 6 week vacation – 17 years ago! The weather’s great, gas is cheap (compared to the rest of the world) – what better place to feed my hot rod obsession?” jokes Craig. Each piece is a unique, combination of the various aspects of Americana he loves.
What drew Craig to this work? “An appreciation for nostalgia – I like the imagery of vintage advertising, signs, pin ups, music – and of course the cars -The appeal of the vintage Hot Rods is the builder could combine a the best of the old and new in a form of high performance personal expression. With that attitude in mind I use a variety of traditional and modern technology and techniques to create my idealized visions – and occasional nightmares!”
A ‘Mob’ themed Valentines show in Hollywood recently featured two of CraigR’s pieces ‘Vengeful Vixen’ a mock dime store novel cover, and ‘Last Ride’ an exploration of the dark downside of ‘Mob romance’. “It’s great to see people’s reactions!”
”One of my earliest memories is being scolded for using my crayons on the wallpaper. But really, what did I do wrong? I was making art man!”
Early artistic attempts aside, it’s more in recent years that Craig has started to seriously develop his talent. “I studied for a media arts degree in New Zealand, majoring in photography, but also drawing, graphic design and typography. I’ve found some great resources online, and there’s a lot of figure drawing workshops around that have been really helpfuI. I have also gotten in the habit of drawing every day, even if only a little. Meeting other artists has been very helpful, for motivation and just to see how other minds solve similar problems or projects.”
So how does Craig decide what to paint? “Sometimes an idea just pops into my head – a song lyric might put a visual into my head, or other times I’ll just be sketching things and one certain idea will grab so I’ll continue to develop that concept. I have always been drawn to old American cars and guitar driven rock. The rebelliousness of early rockabilly and surf music fits the hot rod attitude perfectly. I like to think my images have a little of that spirit. And every once in a while a fleeting observation from life just begs to be recorded!”
A themed show provided further inspiration: “I created a piece for a Phyllis Diller tribute show. I drew her in a comic book style, but to add an extra layer of interest I incorporated the symbols of Thalia, the ancient Greek Muse of comedy. I added a comedy mask, Laurel wreath and staff, or in this case Diller’s trademark cigarette holder. So now I need to create the other eight muses, in the same style, using other female pop culture icons from the 60s & 70s.”
This links to another theme – strong women: “Probably inspired by my wife! I prefer a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, to the ditsy victims of circumstance that often characterize vintage pin up females. There is a strength to women that is far more appealing than just a bimbo in distress.”
What would ‘CraigR’ want his viewers to experience?
“Doesn’t everyone want to blast down the street with the wind in their hair? Hopefully that’s the place my Hot Rod art will take the viewer. The Tiki’s take you to a stress free fantasy world, where the weather’s good, the music’s good and Monday never comes! The pinup and Americana harkens to a simpler time, real or imagined. These themes incorporated in my work, allow the viewer to “see” through rose-colored glasses. Chasing the dream of Southern California surfers, rockers, hot-rodders and their girls, will always be a part of the American mystique. That I can share in that feels great.”
