Designers Today's May/June cover, created by Craig George, right.

The artwork of Craig George reflects two vastly different cultural experiences: His upbringing in Los Angeles’ South Central neighborhood and his current life on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Initially a self-taught artist, he later enrolled in the Institute of the American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, which gave him a greater appreciation for the culture of other tribes, he said. His work ranges from pieces incorporating graffiti and mixed media to the saturated landscapes such as the one on our May/June 2022 cover. Last year, textile studio Western Sensibility launched decorative pillow sets and drapery with his artwork, and will add new designs soon. George doesn’t take his gift for granted and calls his work “my heart.” – Andrea Lillo

Tell us about how you began as an artist.

“I started with pencil and ink at first, at nine years old. I just started drawing, spray painting. The first time I picked up a brush was around 1995, when I was in art school. When I got that first money when I started drawing for people [in high school] I thought, ‘This can work.’ When I was practicing [when I was younger], I used walls as my paper, maybe in alleys or someone’s garage.”

Several other pieces of art from Craig George

What type of media do you work with?

“Right now, oil paint is my go-to. I like the blending part, the overlapping colors to get it where you want it to be. I love mixed media, just putting things together, collage, layering after layering – oil, acrylic, paper, spray paint, stencil, markers – pretty much whatever I can get my hands on and just slap it on there.”

I paint from morning until the sun goes down. That’s my day. I usually have eight pieces up [at a time] and just work on them. That’s my heart, that’s my love. That’s what keeps me going and grounded.”

How did your collaboration with textile studio Western Sensibility start?

“[Founder and CEO Kathryn Sanders] found me on Instagram. She got a hold of me at the point when I was doing my landscapes. It was a surprise at first but I really wanted to do it.

I have a big fan base as well – anything I post, they buy it right away. [Regarding doing custom work,] if the deal is right, I’ll do it.”

What categories would you like to expand to next?

“I want to get into fabric, for fashion design. It would be great to have my stuff on the back of someone’s jean jacket, or a dress or jeans.”

If you could you have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be?

“Jean-Michel Basquiat, because he’s very bold and powerful. I admire him a lot. He attacked the canvas. There’s no fear. Simple and to the point – that’s what I like about his work. And Richard Dieberkorn, he’s fantastic, he was a good abstract artist. People were comparing my work to their work, so I looked them up.”

Tell us about living on the reservation.

“Living on the reservation is beautiful: Open range, fresh air, gorgeous sunsets, animals are free to roam, very peaceful, calm silence. I don’t hear any police sirens, helicopters overhead, I don’t have to look over my shoulder, little things like that. Because I live on the reservation I got to learn more about my culture and ceremonies, how to be at peace with Mother Nature. So you’ll see all those things in my artwork.”

Andrea is passionate about home design, and has covered the home furnishings industry for most of her journalism career. She is the Executive Editor, Design, of Designers Today; in addition, she also serves as the Managing Editor of HFN and Lighting Editor for Home Accents Today. Andrea lives in beautiful Brooklyn, where she could very well be the only person without a tattoo.

Sign up to get exclusive industry information delivered directly to your inbox.

© 2022 BridgeTower Media. All rights reserved.

Use of this website is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.