Craig Hood paints outdoors just after dawn. His paintings spontaneously emerge from the darkness just as nature’s first light reveals the land’s shapes, contours, palette and atmosphere. He paints what he sees, what he senses, what he thinks, what’s in front, what’s behind, what’s above and what is below him all at once. His landscapes are painted “fast and slow at the same time”; he takes as much time as he needs to consider his viewpoints, decides how to proceed, and then quickly and uninhibitedly builds one stroke or mark after another in an unfolding sequence from beginning to end. The resultant work emerges from the interaction between the actual landscape and his idea of what the painting should look like, which creates very real tension for Hood, and provides the source of his excitement and the meaning of his work.

Craig retired a few years ago as Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of New Hampshire where he served as Professor of Painting since 1981  He received his MFA in Painting from the University of Indiana and studied at the New York Studio School. He has shown his work extensively in the New England region as well as in New York City, Washington DC, Japan and Montreal.

First Light by Craig Hood will be on view at D’Arcy/Simpson Gallery in Hudson NY from May 4 to June 3.  Artist Reception Saturday May 4, 4-6pm.