About

“I was born in 1964 in Sacramento California. My father, a research meteorologist studying nuclear winter, was offered a job in Aiken SC at the Savannah River Site. In 1972 we left Livermore California and drove across the country arriving in Aiken at the end of the summer. I was eight years old and the arrival made a lasting impression on me psychologically. Since that time I have been observing southern culture and grappled with how to interpret it. Poverty, race relations, religion, and the brutal history have been at the forefront of my thoughts. I grew up drawing and painting and ended up going to both Young Harris College in Georgia and the University of South Carolina where I graduated with a BFA. After college I felt as though I had not learned how paintings were made. I wanted to learn more about materials and techniques in order to express myself more accurately through making paintings. In 1989 I was offered an apprenticeship in the study of painting conservation with Olin Conservation, inc. in Washington DC. Over the eight years studying paintings in the studio that were in need of conservation treatments I developed an eye for a particular aesthetic. That aesthetic is present in my paintings. The time studying painting conservation was invaluable to my understanding of American painting both aesthetically and culturally. In 1999 I moved back to SC and started my own private painting conservation practice, Crawford Conservation Inc, where I have primarily treated paintings for museums, private collectors, and universities. Notable projects include the treatment of Thomas Sully’s copy of Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne portrait of George Washington for the North Carolina State Capitol, portrait by Francois Fleishbein titled “ Betsy” for the Historic New Orleans Collection, and ceiling paintings that are part of the Brumidi Corridors at the US Capitol in Washington DC. 

Between 1990 and 2008 I had numerous solo shows in galleries in Charleston SC, Charlotte NC, and St Simons Island GA. The paintings were primarily traditional oil paintings on canvas and wooden panels. After the recession beginning in 2008 many of the galleries closed or were struggling to sell paintings. At that time I decided to change my focus and paint my surroundings now living in rural SC. The paintings have taken longer to complete, slowing my output. Since that time I have had two solo shows at the Greenville County Museum of Art, a solo show at the Campbell House Southern Pines NC, a solo show at Sumter County Gallery of Art SC, and inclusion in the show titled Nature/Nurture in Lake City SC. I have been collected by numerous private individuals and the Greenville County Museum of Art.”