Craig Dunstan-McGrail

Craig Dunstan-McGrail was born in Missoula Montana. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and ceramics from the University of Montana in 1974. He then completed his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics and sculpture at the University of Utah in 1977. He currently works and lives in Bellingham Washington with his wife Sandford and their dog Shane.

Artist Statement

Craig’s recent body of work is called Abstract Aberrations. Craig uses a camera to capture an impression that becomes a sketch for the final image, then focuses on fragments rather than the complete sketch to create a new image that hovers between recognition and ambiguity. Process is central to his work. He uses an assortment of techniques in a progression that requires a lot of trial and error and are usually unique to each image. The original image is often duplicated, rotated, inverted, or stretched. Then multiple layers are blended for color and form. Not all images create usable or predictable results, but all provide unexpected and sometimes exciting beginnings for further ideas.