Craig makes paintings and drawings that explore still life, figure and landscape subjects, seeking to investigate the profound qualities that exist in our surroundings.
'…The eye sees only fronts, and the mind, on the whole, is satisfied with fronts. But intuition needs all-roundedness, and instinct needs insideness. The true imagination is forever curving round to the other side, to the back of presented appearance.'
— David Bomberg
Craig approaches his subject matter by careful observation and depiction of form to develop an understanding and personal connection with what he sees. He then moves from an observational response to an intuitive one seeking to get beyond the 'presented appearance', as Bomberg puts it, to the 'other side' of the subject. Craig allows his imagination to speak and inevitably abstract relationships develop within the work resulting in paintings and drawings of an ambiguous form that occupy the space between realism and abstraction.
Biography
- 1983 Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- 2002 Leith School of Art, Foundation Course
- 2003-6 Edinburgh College of Art, BA Hons Drawing and Painting
- 2011 Leith School of Art, Drawing Course
- 2015 moved from Edinburgh to Bangor, Northern Ireland
- 2016 elected member of NEAC
Society Memberships
New English Art Club
Scholarships, Awards, Prizes
2003 Winner of the Leith School of Art Painting Prize in Foundation year
2011 Winner of the Leith School of Art Drawing Prize
2012 Winner of the RGI City of Glasgow Art Prize
2017 Shortlisted for the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize
2017 Finalist of the Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary
2018 Winner of the Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary
Recent Exhibitions of Note
May 2014 Leith School of Art Alumni Exhibition, Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh
Jan 2015–19 Stafford Gallery, Exhibition of Scottish Artists, Wimbledon
Feb 2016 Columbia Threadneedle Prize Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
Mar 2016 Solo Exhibition of work by Craig Jefferson, The Engine Room Gallery, Belfast
Mar 2016 Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, Dublin
June 2016 New English Art Club Annual Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
Feb 2017 Solo Exhibition of work by Craig Jefferson, The Stafford Gallery, Wimbledon
Mar 2017 Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
Nov 2017 Solo Exhibition of work by Craig Jefferson, Ards Arts Centre, NI
Feb 2019 Solo Exhibition of work by Craig Jefferson, The Stafford Gallery, Wimbledon
March 2019 Spring Exhibition, JP Art Gallery, Blackheath, London
