CONCEPT ARTIST CRAIG ELLIOTT'S GOLD Award :: Advertising Category :: Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles

Concept artist, illustrator and fine artist Craig Elliott is especially known for his exceptional ability with the human figure and creative composition. His work has evolved into a unique vision informing and influencing fine art, print, animation and commercial worlds.

I met Craig for a second time at last year's awards ceremony. It is no surprise that he has been awarded the GOLD Award in the Advertising Category at The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles 52nd Annual Illustration Exhibition for "Forest Awakening" that ran as an advertisement in Art Collector Magazine for Arcadia Contemporary Gallery, New York.

Forest Awakening  

Congratulations Craig!! 

Craig provided me with photos of the painting being made and the frame being built. The following is in his own words:

"I am beyond pleased to have received a Gold Award from the Society of Illustrators West, for my painting " Forest Awakening." It is a real and tangible thing that I can point to - to tell me I am going in the right direction. Steve Daimant, who commissioned the piece and ran it in an advertisement, seemed so surprised and happy to see the final product. I should have known then that it was a good painting, and an indication of a direction of travel. My publisher and friend, John Fleskes, said it was the best painting he had ever seen!   

Accolades aside, I gave my self some new challenges with this painting that I hope to carry forward.  I decided to work on fine linen, not rough canvas or gessoed board - this gave a richer, finer feel to the paint surface. After this decision I had to teach myself how to build such a large canvas support, mount and prepare the canvas. The panel was built up with heavy reinforcing boards on the back of a thin, high quality plywood surface. The surface was sealed, and the linen glued to the panel. Then the linen was sized and primed with oil primer. The oil primer was also a new step for me - I had been practicing on panels made by New Traditions.  These panels really gave me the brushwork and absorbency that I had been looking for for so long with oils - and they were the first oil primed linen boards I had ever worked on. I also made a huge leap in size- so I could get as much detail into the painting as I wanted, but still work freely with my arm. The final painting framed is over 5 feet square.   

I wanted to present the painting as best as possible, as I knew there was something special about it.  I spent about 5 days building a large box-frame with gold leaf trim to frame the work."

building a large box-frame

frame with gold leaf trim

"The Final painting is for sale at Arcadia Contemporary in New York."  

Forest Awakening framed

"I would like to thank all the judges for this years SILA West, as well as all my fans who seem to love this painting and the fact that it was chosen for a Gold award!" - Craig Elliott

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!!