Craig Kosak is an American painter who was born in 1957 near Seattle, the city he still calls home. He draws inspiration from his travels, expressing in his paintings both the external imagery that he encounters and the emotions that his experiences create within him. As he says on his website; “Inspired by the wildlife and landscapes I encounter while travelling I return to my studio with insights about the natural world and about the human condition. Rather than faithfully documenting the flora and fauna, I strive to capture the feeling and emotions these trips provide. Each trip consists of both a journey through the outer world, and an inner journey of self discovery. These paintings are about both worlds and how they relate.
Richly textured and developed using many layers of alternately opaque and translucent paint, strong graphic composition and bold colors combine to set the stage for realistically rendered animals, objects and landscapes. The subjects are integrated with abstract elements and expressive brushwork representative of the inner emotive world. I continue working until balance between both worlds is achieved and the painting comes alive.”
Craig Kosak’s paintings have a spiritual meaning to them. He chooses to paint animals that he has encountered in the wild such as ravens, bison and wolves. To paint an animal that he has only seen in film and pictures isn’t enough for Craig Kosak, as his art style relies on experiencing a subject firsthand and painting his emotional impression of the animal. Native North Americans believe that encounters with animals have an effect on the soul of a person, the emotional effect that Kosak portrays so well in his paintings.
Visit Craig Kosak’s online art gallery to see more fantastic paintings that combine the spirit of man and animal.
