We recently connected with Craig Downs and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my favorite projects was started by my partner Candice Fulton and I in a small village in Mexico over 10 ten years ago. In the town soccer field, which is used by people of every age and is a center of village activity, was a drab little building used for dressing rooms and storage. We decided it needed to be painted, and that is how our Wall Together Now project was born. Local friends whitewashed the building, and I painted a giant paint by number design on the three visible walls. Then we called for the villagers to come and paint it. We had 150 painters that weekend, from tiny children to people in wheelchairs. After the Paint Days, as we call them, I returned to go over every inch of it, finishing with weatherproof sealer. The building is now a pride of the village. That was the beginning. Since then, we have done several paint by number projects a year for communities and businesses with walltogethernow.com

This project delights me because we bring people together to create a lasting work of art. The reaction of the painters is joyful to see, and they take great pride in having contributed for years afterward. Although I am constantly doing canvases and commissions, Wall Together Now is a highlight of my forty-year career.

Craig, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In the forty years I’ve been painting, I’ve worked hard to create a unique style to call my own. I have been told that, when people see a painting of mine hanging anywhere, they say, “That’s a Downs!” Hearing this pleases me because that’s what I’ve attempted to do. When I began, I had a sense of what I wanted my style to be. I wanted both whimsy and boldness. Over the years, as I’ve taught myself more, I found that I could say many things with colors and lines and characters. Through fantasy and allegory, I could illustrate what I could not put into words. Each of my paintings is like a single moment in time, where something has happened right before and you sense that something is about to happen.

I paint every day and find that when I’m not painting, I’m thinking about painting. I find that not being schooled has freed me to create from my heart and soul, with no preconceived rules. I rarely sketch any of my paintings. I approach a blank canvas with an open mind and let my brushes do the work.

The themes of my commissioned works are often suggested by the clients.. My individual clients want a Downs painting that captures something of their own lives, or want to give one as a gift. My business clients want to add color, art, and style to their product or environment. They commission murals, canvases, wine labels, coffee bags and even food trucks with my art. I have been a resident artist for years in galleries, wineries, and restaurants in St. Louis; in Dallas and Salem, Oregon; and in San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico. I am fortunate to have paintings hanging in homes and businesses in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and a few that have made their way to the UK and Europe. It pleases me very much to know that people appreciate my artwork enough to want to have it be a part of their daily lives.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

They’re fine for other people but I prefer money.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe that a lot of people do not understand that a professional artist dedicates their life to their work. For me, doing art is like breathing, and my only lifeline is the people who buy my art.

If not for the buyers of my art, I would go mad.

I wish people understood that to buy a piece of original art from the artist is a grand gesture that helps keep original art alive. To hold it in your hands, see the brushstrokes, feel the emotions–your own and the artist’s–are things you just can’t get from mass-produced “art”.

I wish people knew that a BA does not make an artist, and that they would seek out those of us who have spent a whole lifetime learning and experimenting and striving to create truly original work.

Contact Info:

• Website: craigdowns.com, walltogethernow.com
• Instagram: artbycraigdowns
• Facebook: Craig Downs Art