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Craig Pursley
Artist ~ Illustrator
Born in Nebraska in 1954, Craig began drawing
before starting kindergarten. Lacking unlined paper in the house, he
would pull out the liners from his parents’ record albums and fill
them with fanciful drawings of horses and wildlife.
With the encouragement of his parents, and
better paper, Craig continued to grow in ability to the point he was
doing freelance work before graduating high school. In 1971 he was
chosen as Nebraska’s Outstanding Young Artist.
After starting at Hastings College, he
transferred to and graduated from Colorado State University in 1976
and immediately began teaching art at the middle school level. At
the same time, he continued a part-time job he’d begun in college as
a police composite artist for several law enforcement agencies
including the F.B.I. Craig was credited with playing a pivotal role
in the capture of many criminals.
Also during this time, Craig began to exhibit
in galleries in Northern Colorado as well as enter shows where he
often won or placed highly, including a Best of Show in a National
Art Show in western Nebraska in 1983.
In 1983, Craig moved to Southern California
where he began working for the Orange County Register newspaper as
an illustrator, a job held for 23 years. He’s also been involved
with several other aspects of art, including working as an artist
for the (then) California Angels, Topps Baseball Card Co., and Upper
Deck Baseball Card Co.
His work is owned by many professional athletes
and can be seen in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Nolan
Ryan Museum, and The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
His paintings are also in private collections from coast to coast. In 2002, Craig and his wife, Julie, moved to
New Hampshire; a place he finds very artistically inspiring. Here he
paints the beauty of New England in addition to running the American
Heritage Gallery of Art in Bath, New Hampshire.
Many of Craig's painting can be viewed at Plaza Art Gallery in San Juan Capistrano. Click here for directions.
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