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Craig's Later Life and Death

James Humbert Craig enrolled at the Belfast School of Art but he failed to complete one term, therefore, making him a largely self- taught artist. It was clear that his most popular areas for painting were the Glens of Antrim, Donegal and Connemara due to his passion for the landscape and outdoors. He emigrated to the US, but stayed only for a short time before returning to Down. Craig married Annie Seaton Lilburn in 1924 at May St. presbyterian church, Belfast. The two of them moved in to to ‘Dunedin’ on the main Antrim Road, Belfast, however, they spent much of their time at Cushendun. In 1925, Craig was elected ARHA and by 1928 was a member of the RHA. During the late 1930s, his work was displayed at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy. He exhibited internationally at the exhibition of Irish art in Brussels (1930) followed by the Olympic art exhibition in Los Angeles (1932). His popularity was also dispersed through his creations as a designer of various posters and through his illustrations. He was one of the best- known Ulster artists of his time, and his creations and works can be placed strongly within the academic tradition. He used an impressionistic technique which aimed to capture the ever-changing light and atmosphere of the landscape. Craig was on a painting trip in Donegal in May 1944 when he took ill. He was brought back to his house at Cushendun where he passed away on the 12th of June 1944 from internal perforated ulcers. He was later buried at Layde parish in Antrim. Following his death, memorial exhibitions of his artwork took place in various locations such as the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery, Combridge Galleries, Municipal Technical College and at the Oriel Gallery in Dublin by the RHA. Some of his work can be found today in the National Gallery of Ireland, the Ulster Museum and Crawford Municipal Gallery.