Maysey Craddock b. 1971 — Maysey Craddock’s work is a testament to her own interaction with the natural world. Inspired by her close relationship with the southern wetlands and other vulnerable environments, Craddock’s work reflects these intimate interactions between herself and the exteriors. Using subjects of growth and nature, Craddock’s concept inspires us to think about entropy and impermanence. Images of trees flow right off the page – creating one moment in the broader space of time and presence. Her works draw us into this momentary place – where we can interact and experience environments that are fleeting.

Craddock’s technique and materials are an extension of her subject matter. Using common grocery bags, she stitches them together to create a larger surface. The indentions from the original shape of the machine-created bags are often still visible on her works, keeping us from separating these works from their original purpose. By using a single use object to create a fine art piece, Craddock literally knits together the changing landscape and humanity’s role. At the same time, the artist gives these often cast aside materials another life, where they are painted gently with watercolors evoking a sense of reclamation and memory.

Maysey Craddock currently lives and works in Memphis, TN. She received a MFA from Maine College of Art and a BA from Tulane University. She has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of the University of Mississippi, Oxford; Stanier Gallery, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA; the Baum Art Gallery, University of Central Arkansas, Conway; and the Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN. Likewise, she has been included in exhibitions at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton; Walton Art Center, Fayetteville, AK; McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX; Dixon Museum of Art, Memphis, TN; Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA; Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans, and Hunter Museum, Chattanooga. Craddock has received many fellowships including the APSU Tennessee Artist Fellowship, and a Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship, and has participated in artist residencies both in the US and Germany, including the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus Residency and the Vermont Studio Center Residency. Most recently, Craddock was the Artist in Residence at the Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, WI. Her work is also part of many public and private collections such as the Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN; The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR; Music City Center, Nashville, TN; UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN; Nordstrom’s, Nashville, TN; Pfizer Corporation, Memphis, TN, among others.