Maysey Craddock b. 1971 - The theme of reclamation pervades Maysey Craddock’s art practice. From the eroding coastlines of the Gulf of Mexico to the crumbling edifices of the deep South, to the choice of her materials, Craddock holds to the past, to a nostalgic time of innocence, before the impacts of both man and nature have taken their toll. These soulful gouache paintings explore themes of impermanence, mortality, memory, and entropy. The artist photographs her subject matter before interpreting the images onto found paper, often pieces of common grocery bags hand stitched together. Creases and makers marks contribute to the texture of the landscape. The object-ness of the bag, the wrinkled terrain, and the history of use are part of what attracts Craddock to her surfaces. 

Maysey Craddock currently lives and works in Memphis, TN and received her MFA in 2003 from Maine College of Art. She exhibits frequently throughout the United States and has been included in exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, The Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans, and the Dixon Museum of Art. Craddock has received many fellowship awards and has participated in artist residencies both in the US and Germany. Her work is also part of many public and private collections such as the Brooks Museum of Art, Federal Express, Nordstrom, and Pfizer Corporation, among others.