INDEX:

• About
• Bio
• Influences
• Directions to Studio
• Music

Carolyn Crampton at Spring Open Studio 2023 by Jeannette Bonifas.

Everyone tells me to loosen up and paint in a more modern style, but I’m lost in the 18th century (or earlier). Visiting museums as a kid, inspired me to want to paint. I strive for classical realism but not photorealism. I just dashed off four copies of classical horses, shamefully, but I just had to do them.

I start by scrubbing paint around. My paint application is cross-hatching with a small, stiff brush. I correct mistakes as I go. I have many cast-off stuffed animals. Their peaceful nature became perfect subject matter during the pandemic, but I continue to work with them. I enjoy their quirky qualities. I just finished the second of two oversized toy pieces. Most of my recent work is less conceptual but some content may creep in.

The “Variant World” series (before Covid-19) is a fantasy of what earth could be like if humans somehow disappeared. I wanted to let wildlife into human spaces. Some paintings include an animal gazing at the viewer—as a witness. These works may raise questions about memory and about our collections of stuff. I also paint landscapes outdoors.

Ever since Trump came down the escalator in 2016, I have drawn and posted political cartoons on social media outlets as a way to lighten the spirits of friends and myself. More about this on my Books tab.

I grew up in Larchmont, New York. After attending SUNY College at New Paltz (I was accepted to their prestigious art program), but decided to go to the University of Colorado. There I received my BFA in painting with a minor in art history. After a slight detour—I moved to San Francisco with my all-girl punk band and played at the iBeam, Fab Mab, and other clubs—I resumed painting outdoors in Golden Gate Park.  

I've exhibited at bay area galleries, in local and national juried competitions, and my work is housed in corporate and private collections. I taught art and design at Expression College, BAVC Media, San Francisco City College Extension and privately. The reason why my website is called "CramptonArts" is that I used to have design and art portfolios online.

My sister, Jeanne, taught me to draw and paint horses. At age seven, my mother gave me a set of oil paints and told me to go paint in the basement when I woke up early. At age eight, my best friend, Mary Ann Wolf, and I started The Little Artists Club. The club had only two members but it had a fancy art opening with cookies in Mary's basement.

My mother, Jeanne, and I, spent a summer on a grand tour of Europe, visiting many museums, starting with the Louvre. College art history classes later invoked vivid memories of the original works. I still study directly from the masters in museums. Other influences are Charles Addams, New Yorker cartoonists, Mad Magazine, and Eloise.

My painting studio at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard is open by appointment.
The studio is in Building 101, Studio 1223, in the middle, on the ground floor. The studio is handicap accessible.

GPS: 451 Galvez Avenue, San Francisco

Google maps: link >>click HERE

Bus: The Shipyard is served by Muni #19 Polk bus.

Just to make life more interesting, I still play in rock bands and was a founding member of an early punk band. >> Click HERE for more on my music exploits.