Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Hawkins.
Hi Craig, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a studio artist and educator in South Georgia. I center my studio practice on drawing and painting. I’m a natural introvert. While growing up I kept to myself, pencil and paper in hand, always drawing something. People came to me to ask questions about what I was creating and that pretty much sums up my social interaction as a kid. My first memory of artistic validation is winning a national art contest in my elementary age group and buying a Nintendo with the cash prize. The support of my family allowed me to pursue art at a university level. Having earned a M.F.A. from the University of Georgia (2011), I now skillfully balance being a dedicated studio artist and respected professor at Valdosta State University.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anyone’s path is ever straight forward. We all find our way through doubts, fear, and ignorance, especially artists. After my undergraduate experience, I explored self employment as a portrait artist, graphic designer, residential and commercial mural arts, and gallery representation as I entered grad school. Making ends meet as a newlywed and eventually a father of three requires a lot of independent drive and creative problem solving. I don’t know any artist that has just one stream of potential income. Finding and building community is crucial.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work wrestles with the tension between ancient wisdom and present reality. Shaped by my experience growing up in the Southeast and my engagement with Near Eastern wisdom literature, my drawings and paintings reflect both a deep respect for Scripture’s design and a recognition of how often its depth is overlooked or misunderstood. I keep returning to the rhythms and symbols of ancient Hebrew scripture—not because I always understand them, but because they continue to hold more than I can grasp. They are a garden—a place to take root, wrestle, grow, and search for the One who gives and sustains life. My work is a response to the beauty and brokenness I see in the world and the conviction that community and meaning can still be found within it.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I was in college before I recognized that I could investigate a single idea, not just a theme, with more than one work of art. I was unfamiliar with the process of working in a series and found freedom in the repetition and more detailed exploration of an idea across multiple works and media. Composition is also far more important that I ever gave it credit to be early in my education. Before a drawing or painting becomes a recognizable image of anything with a name, it is an organization of flat color or value shapes that can emote and attract the eye. Lastly, I wish someone had told me early on in my career that the final product is never really for me as much as the process is to get there.
Pricing:
- Small originals start at $1000
- Medium size originals start at $5000
- Large size originals start at $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://craighawkinsart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craighawkinsart/
