About P. Craig Ellertson
Craig has always had a passion for
both photography and art. His numerous
trips in the field photographing wildlife and landscapes has not only inspired
his wildlife paintings but allowed him to use his extensive photography skills
to capture amazing images that have become the subjects of his many drawings.
His undergraduate degree is in design and commercial art but after working for a number of years in advertising he found that it didn’t satisfy his passion for fine art.
Originally he started using colored pencils at an early age drawing cartoon characters and wildlife pictures from art books. He experimented in several different mediums such as pen and ink and acrylic paint but found that his preferred medium is professional grade colored pencils.
Craig began experimenting with colored pencils on black artist board which gives a completely different look to his work. Working on black comes with its own set of challenges. His colored pencil works are achieved by layering many colors and blending which is labor intensive. Colors going down on black are different than on a light colored substrate but the end results can be dramatic.
While he doesn’t show his works widely, he has been entering his work in the World of the Wild annual art show at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City for many years and has received numerous awards, including several 'Director’s Choice’ awards. Craig's body of work can be seen at craigellertsonart.com.
He is currently attends a weekly artist workshop headed by Jan Henderson, an award winning and widely published colored pencil artist. Sharing ideas and techniques with other artists keeps you on your toes. Artists are your toughest critics.
