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The Power
Craig Alan’s story is inspiring for kids who, like him, enjoy
creating new things. It might also hold a lesson for parents
who may not recognize the artistry and imagination in their kids’
crayon wall art. Who knows where it could lead them?
of
As far back as he can remember, Craig Alan has Artist Profile:
been creating. As a kid, he found an artistic outlet by
drawing with crayons on his parents’ walls. Craig continued
to work on his art (not only on walls!) and gradually got
better at it. In spite of his expressive drawings with crayons
and his parents’ encouragement, Craig never imagined that
he would become a painter.
Craig went to elementary and middle school in California.
He says, “I remember when I was as young as eight, our
teacher would write stories, and we illustrated the stories
with five drawings. We did this assignment one day a week. basically how I went from jock to art student to painter,” he
It was one of my favorite parts of school.” His creativity explains.
blossomed throughout his childhood and early adulthood. As an artist, Craig has a restless eye. His work refers
Today, Craig Alan’s art is exhibited across North America to numerous artistic styles, including pop-surrealism,
and in Europe, where he has become a one-of-a-kind voice magic realism, neoexpressionist abstraction, and natural
in the visual arts. representation. His most recent work, which he calls the
Craig knows the power of art. “Art is incredibly important “Populus Series”—a few pieces of which are featured in
for kids, for many reasons,” he says. Here are a few reasons this article—includes original images of hundreds of tiny
he thinks this is true: people on a white background. At first glance, the paintings
look like aerial photographs, but a closer inspection reveals
• Creating art helps you be yourself and not be afraid
to express yourself—even without using words or your that they’re painted by hand. Craig hopes that viewers of
voice. his paintings will realize “that we are all part of something
greater than ourselves, and if we work together, we could
• Art can help you solve problems. It’s a great way to achieve greater balance…not in a religious sense, but
experiment and try new things. When you try art, you rather a universal sense.”
always answer the question, “What if?”
• Getting lost in your imagination can turn
your ideas inside out and upside down—that’s
a really beautiful thing!
• Art can help you tell a story in your own way.
There is no better way to build your confidence.
• Sometimes, we can learn things more
easily if we have a visual or a picture to help
us understand it. Artists are needed in all areas
of education to help represent math, science,
language arts, and history in visual ways. We
can inject the creativity of art into all aspects of
life and learning.
Craig focused on soccer in college and was offered
an athletic scholarship. It was stressful for him to
balance college classwork, soccer, and friendships,
and his grades began to suffer. To help improve
his grades, Craig took an art class. His first class—
pottery—had an unexpected and important
benefit: It helped him make sense of everything.
Art School became easier for Craig; he actually wanted
to learn because he saw how his classwork and
lessons applied to his life. “I threw myself into [art],
and it ended up changing my whole perspective on
learning,” Craig says. He connected with a publisher
and started on his path in the art world. “That’s