User:Ibyrne/sandbox

Artistic Development
James Humbert Craig was described as having a natural talent for art. His family wanted him to take over the family business, but he was only interested in his own artistic ambitions. He was self-taught and despite enrolling in the Belfast College of Art, he only spent a single term there. His work consists of multiple landscapes around his home, and he would paint the landscapes of places he visited in Europe too. Craig said his inspiration and favorite place to paint was the coast of Antrim, and this is evident in his work. His landscape portraits of Antrim seem to have a softness in them, compared to a more rugged painting style that he used in his paintings of Donegal and Connemara’s landscapes.

Craig uses an impressionistic technique that emphasizes the light of the landscape, using short and thick brush strokes to capture the essence of the land rather than the detail. However, critics always complimented Craig’s ability to spot details in the land that others would have missed. He excelled at showing people his response to the landscapes around him as he had a very expressive painting style.