Craig Keith Antrim, Painter
(Sept. 6, 1942 to Sept. 15, 2022)
Craig Keith Antrim was born and raised in Pasadena, Calif. He began his college career at the University of California Santa Barbara as a pre-med zoology student but switched majors, finding art was better suited to his interests. He received a bachelor’s degree in art with honors, his emphasis in drawing and painting.
After graduating UCSB, Craig joined the Army Medical Service Corps, where part of his service included a combat tour in Vietnam. After completing his service commitment, he returned to his beloved California, moved to Santa Barbara and picked up where he left off, painting and drawing. Much of his work was influenced by his understanding of philosophy, Jungian psychology, the philosophy of Joseph Campbell and art history.
He continued his education at Claremont Graduate School where he earned a master of fine arts degree in 1970. Upon completion of his MFA, he was hired by the University of Florida, Gainesville to teach all their color theory courses. While in Florida his work was acquired by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. Missing California, he returned after two years to focus on his painting. He initially settled in San Pedro and established a studio on 6th Street next to a number of established artists such as Jay McCafferty and Dusty Schuler.
Craig has had numerous solo and group shows throughout California, Washington, Japan and Korea. His work was included in the much acclaimed 1986 show, The Spiritual in Art — Abstract Painting 1890 - 1985, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This show traveled to the prestigious Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago IL, and the Haag Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Holland.
After living in San Pedro he moved to a studio in Inglewood for a number of years before returning and purchasing a studio on Pacific Avenue. In addition to working daily in his studio, he continued to teach at El Camino College, LA Harbor College and Pasadena City College. The artists paint company, Windsor & Newton, recruited him as an instructor, becoming part of their artist outreach program to demonstrate fine art materials at colleges and universities.
Craig’s work can be found in the collections of The Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Long Beach Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum, Palm Springs Desert Museum, University of California Los Angeles Grunewald Center and the National Endowment for the Arts. Look for him in the recently published L.A. Rising, SoCal Artists Before 1980 by Lyn Kienholz.
A memorial exhibition of his work is being planned at Gallery 478, San Pedro for later this year. Funeral services are pending.