Craig Davison: Capturing the Imagination of Childhood
Craig Davison, a contemporary British artist, has captivated art enthusiasts worldwide with his nostalgic and imaginative paintings that depict the carefree adventures of childhood. His unique style, which combines elements of comic book art and pop culture references, has earned him a dedicated following and widespread recognition in the art world.
Early Life and Education
Born in Sheffield, England, in 1965, Craig Davison demonstrated a passion for art from a young age. Growing up in the 1970s, his childhood experiences would later serve as a significant source of inspiration for his work. Although he excelled in art at school, Davison did not pursue formal art education after leaving school at the age of 16.
Artistic Development and Style
Davison's artistic journey began in the late 1980s when he started working as a cartoonist, drawing for pre-school comics such as The Wombles, Bangers & Mash, Huxley Pig, and The Shoe People. This experience laid the foundation for his distinctive style, which would later evolve to incorporate elements of comic book art and pop culture.
In the following years, Davison transitioned into the video game industry, working as an animator and games designer. During this time, he amassed an impressive portfolio, contributing to popular titles such as The Hulk, Zorro, and The Hurricanes. This experience further honed his skills in character design and storytelling.
Davison's artistic pursuits then led him to become a freelance sculptor, creating models for renowned toy ranges, including Harry Potter, Me To You, Doctor Who, and Enchantica. This sculptural work refined his understanding of form and composition, which would later translate into his paintings.
It wasn't until 2007 that Davison began painting professionally. After entering a competition held by Washington Green to find an apprentice for the acclaimed artist Alexander Millar, Davison finished in the top three, despite having no prior experience in painting. This achievement ignited his passion for the medium and marked the beginning of his career as a fine artist.
Inspired by the works of comic book artist Mike Mignola, Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, Spanish master Francisco Goya, and American illustrator N.C. Wyeth, Davison developed a unique style that combines the energy and nostalgia of childhood with the visual language of comic books and popular culture. His paintings often feature children engaged in imaginative play, their shadows taking on the form of iconic characters from movies, television, and comic books.
Career Highlights and Achievements
Since embarking on his career as a professional artist, Craig Davison has garnered significant attention and acclaim. His works have been exhibited in galleries across the United Kingdom and have been collected by art enthusiasts worldwide.
Davison's "Shadow Collection" series, which includes paintings inspired by Star Wars, Marvel and DC superheroes, James Bond, and various Hollywood films, has been particularly popular among collectors. These works showcase his ability to capture the innocence and imagination of childhood while paying homage to beloved pop culture icons.
Legacy and Impact
Craig Davison's art has struck a chord with audiences due to its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia and celebrate the boundless creativity of childhood. His paintings serve as a reminder of the importance of nurturing imagination and the joy that can be found in simple, everyday adventures.
As Davison continues to create new works from his studio in Yorkshire, his art remains highly sought-after by collectors and enthusiasts alike. His unique style and heartfelt subject matter have solidified his position as one of the most beloved and influential contemporary British artists.
Through his captivating and nostalgic paintings, Craig Davison has successfully captured the essence of childhood imagination and the enduring appeal of popular culture. His journey from cartoonist to sculptor to professional painter is a testament to his versatility and dedication to his craft. As his artwork continues to resonate with audiences around the world, Davison's legacy as a master of capturing the joy and wonder of youth is certain to endure.
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His Work
Today sees the brand new Craig Davison - The Game Is Rigged Releases, full colour and sepia sketch paintings and limited editions of a Clown. The question is, is this another Davison look into childhood? or a more sophisticated take on the political and media landscape we now live in post Covid19, and the logical next question of 'Are we being lied to?' - thought provoking new releases indeed - 10th July 2020
Another great day for Craig's fans, as he launches his Spring 2020 Collection, a marvellous series of eighteen full colour limited editions, pencil sketches and accompanying Original paintings by the much loved British artist. As usual the Spring 2020 Sketches will prove very popular amongst his fanbase and have a monorchome flavour to them - 25th April 2020
After a successful sell-out exhibition in the USA, 30th October 2019 is launch day for the Craig Davison Winter 2019 releases, a series off eleven limited edition full colour, sketches and original art. They explore perennial favourite movie, television & cartoons: Star Wars, Star Trek, Charlie's Angels, Thundercat’s, The Wizard Of Oz and Kill Bill.
This month saw one of Craig's bestselling series to date released, the: 'Rebel Without A Pause Collection' featuring his Riot Girls, young female Superheroes with an angry edge! that connected 'super' well with his many collectors - 19th January 2019
The artist's debut collection was launched on the 25th February 2011 and was aptly called the: 'We Can Be Heroes' - Collection. Featuring five images on paper and canvas: 'Fistful Of Quavers,' 'Happy Hunting Ground,' 'Hi Girls…Hi Charlie,' 'Quickly, To The Batcave' & 'The Magnificent Seven' and quickly established him as gallery favourite of childhood themed nostalgia!
**A short interview with Craig (2018):
Craig Davison was born in the 60s in Sheffield, England and from a small child dreamed of an artistic career. He showed promise in school and loved art lessons but after education the artist found himself unable to take his passion further, until he landed himself a career as a cartoonist in the late eighties; incidentally Craig reminisces that watching cartoons was one of his favourite pastimes as a child!
Within his new career, Davison began to fall back in love with art and worked on his drawing skills, pushing his characters into realms he had not previously experienced. The Comic Strips including a variety of characters including British favourites: 'Bangers and Mash, The Wombles, The Shoe People and Huxley Pig (a forerunner to Pepper Pig don't you think?).
Moving onto a new venture, Craig put his newly accomplished painting skills to use and now worked as a computer game designer and animator. Some of his portfolio of gaming works included: Zorro (1995) ,The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga (1996) and Johnny Bazookatone (1996) - critics praised the graphics as 'next generation.'
**Fan created video collage of Craig's art, with an audio track of Tom Jones singing 'Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow' (1977)!
On the back of his artistic success, Davison was now able to try his hand in sculpting and loved the medium so much so that he became freelance. But as years passed, freelance work was becoming increasingly harder to come by and so, he entered competition to become ‘the next’ Alexander Millar & his apprentice, an artist of whom he had great admiration for.
Despite the artist clearly being creatively gifted, Davison had not yet tried his hand at ‘proper’ painting and so saw this as the perfect opportunity to do so. Much to Craig’s surprise he reached last three and was finally confident enough to embark on his dream career as a professional artist.
Craig stayed with Washington Green Art publishers for 7 highly successful years selling original art limited edition prints: from 'The Magnificent Seven' (2011) to 'Pesky Kids' (2017) - incidentally this Scooby-Doo themed artwork was his 110th limited edition release!
As well as foray into sculptures once again with 'Indian Summer - Sculpture' (2012) and 'Timberlyne - Bronze' (2016).
A new collaboration started with Wishbone Publishing in Spring 2018, and really injected some vibrancy and (literal) colour into Craig’s fabulous limited edition & original releases.
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