INDEX:

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

Carolyn Crampton at Spring Open Studio 2023 by Jeannette Bonifas.

My newest paintings, since the pandemic, are of stuffed animals and are oil on canvas, mostly painted at home. I am enjoying the richness of the colors which can be achieved with fewer layers than acrylic. The “Variant World” series (before Covid-19) is a fantasy of what earth could be like if humans somehow disappeared. It's decor style is retro. I wanted to let wildlife into human spaces. Some still life paintings include an animal gazing at the viewer—as a witness. These works may raise questions about memory and about our collections of stuff.

After a thumbnail sketch, I start directly on canvas with a brush. I paint from life, if possible. I work in layers and welcome distortions that seep in; I am not trying to be photographic. Works are done in different series, over several years. I also paint outdoor landscapes.

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. I love to visit museums to study directly from the masters.  

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, design, and Adobe software, both privately, at Expression College, BAVC Media, and at San Francisco City College Extension. 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. 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 early punk bands. >> Click HERE for more on my music exploits.