Born 1946 in California, U.S.A. I have been artistic from day one. I was always sketching in class in grade school and semi listening to the instruction. Was introduced to Architecture and have been practicing for 45 years while producing art. Photographic Art is my PASSION. All work shown here is Photographically based images which I have captured on film or digitally. For the enhanced images I use Photoshop, Studio Artist, BuZZ. X, Topaz Adjust , Topaz Simplify , PhotoTools, Nik Software Complete Collection, PostWorkShop, PhotoMatix and Painter to achieve the painterly quality I seek for those images.
Crawford's interest in art began in high school and further developed at Orange Coast College where he majored in Architecture and minored in History and Art. In 1966 while in Viet Nam he purchased his first 35mm camera and with limited time, he was able to begin his craft. Upon his return to the States, Crawford lived and worked in Laguna Beach, Ca. pursuing an Architectural career while continuing to photograph and interacting with area artists. In 1976 James moved to San Luis Obispo to further his education at Cal Poly where he majored in Architecture and minored in Photography. At the time, photography was in the Journalism Department and then transferred to the Art Department. James thus enjoyed the best of both disciplines. Crawford states that " I have been greatly influenced by the Brooks experience because all my professors were Brooks Institute graduates. James continues to further his photographic education through yearly workshops with varied Master Photographers.
Crawford believes there is more to photography than looking through the camera and pressing the shutter. He says, " The camera is only part of the process. It's where your creativity leads on the computer, or the darkroom. It is not a mere image, it is an extension of your whole self, your whole being, the sum of all your experiences and the influences of great artists I admire." Some of those artists are Mondrian, Braque, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Klee, the Architect Antonio Gaudi and the photographers Eadweard Muybridge, Wynn Bullock and Paul Strand to name just a few. Crawford states that many artists are an influence. " I take little pieces from everything and everyone and melt it into my own vision and truth. Whether that's from Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Music, Photography or Literature."
Crawford's work should not be categorized, but are mainly Florals, Abstracts, Still Life and Landscapes. Crawford works in traditional film black & white, color, fine art photography and digital capture with computer enhancement using Adobe Photoshop CS5, Painter IX, Studio Artist 4, Nik Software Viveza 2, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Topaz Adjust, Topaz Simplify, Auto F/X Edges and buZZ.X. While James Architectural career continues, he does find time to capture many images.
Crawford is the recipient of first place ribbons and Best of Show awards in several photography shows and publications and has been displayed at Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, The Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, New Mexico, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Co., L.A. Center for Digital Art, Cal Poly (SLO), Johnson Gallery, The Photoshop, San Luis Artist's Gallery, Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo City Hall, Gallery at the Network-San Luis Obispo and San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. In 2005 I was the first photographer to have a solo show at the SLO Arts Gallery in Frame Works. Crawford's work also hangs in many private collections. James has been a winner in 6 years of participation in the New Times Photography Contest including 5 winning images in 1999 and 4 winning images in 2001.
To view Crawford's portfolio, appointments may be made by calling James at 805.544.1601 Fax: 805.544.1612 email: crawf@charter.net. Crawford may also be found at the Web Gallery. http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/c/crawf/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacrawf/ … Read More