Craig Everett

Let’s face facts, Bradford is no stranger to arty types, having previously given birth to a practitioner you may have heard of, going by the name of David Hockney. Who, incidentally – although not surprisingly – was one of Craig Everett’s creative inspirations growing up, according to the highly exciting new contemporary figurative art exponent who’s causing quite the stir of late, on his own two feet. And it’s fair to say is destined for future compositional greatness.

Described by those who witness his art as being a sort of ‘Rembrandt meets Manga’ type of paintsmith, Everett’s often melancholy, sometimes dark visuals are also ‘Disney-fied’ in the eyes of many; all characters who raucously coexist at the party habitually going on inside Everett’s head, in one graphically fulfilling way or another. This pictorially-explosive cocktail has seen the much-hyped fine artist grab numerous column inches in recent times, and quickly assert himself as one of the UK’s most compelling, modern-day painters and someone to watch.

All the more impressive when you learn that Everett is self-taught, having left school with no qualifications to speak of. But rewinding a little further back, Everett came into this world in 1969, and as stated above was Bradford born and bred. In his own words he was; ’born on a council estate with a wooden spoon in his mouth.’ He’s remained fiercely loyal to his proud northern roots in the west Yorkshire town ever since, and isn’t planning on relocating any time soon by the sounds of it. Recalling his younger days – if not some of his very first memories – Everett remembers drawing Christmas card Santa’s at the age of 5-years, together with a broader cognitive awareness for punk rock, Doc Martins and skateboards.

Despite flunking school, Everett won a place at art college in 1986, and soon found himself being an art student at the very vanguard of the worldwide introduction of Apple Macs. Everett was blown away by the potential then and there and is still fascinated with the rapidly developing visual tech today. Indeed, he’s far from averse to starting his own compositions in Photoshop and can then further construct and/or deconstruct on his Mac as his new pieces evolve. According to a recent interview he took part in, Everett is adamant that were Rembrandt around today, he’d be plotting his illustrative coordinates on Macs, and he may just have a point. Or pixel.

After completing his print and graphic design course in the late 1980s, Everett assumed a role as a graphic designer for a printing company, where he mastered his chosen profession for the following couple of decades. Alongside this, he never lost sight of his passion for the less commercial aspect of the creative disciplines, and feverishly beavered away behind the scenes in his spare time crafting his own interpretations of Bradford’s industrial streets and landscapes in water colour. He sold them too, for beer money if nothing else. This gradual notoriety on the local art scene, in turn led to certain doors opening. Notably those belonging to art galleries, and in 1992 Everett’s debut print release bore fruition. From there, he never looked back. Not even in an artistically retrospective fashion.

Everett is the first to admit that his art is anything but complicated, as he himself isn’t complicated. And he loves nothing more than to strip things back to their lowest common artistic denominator. So today – and for the best part of 9 years now – Everett has immersed himself in London’s ‘Urban Art’ scene; albeit from a distance. And involving himself under an alias, for the record. In return this has seen his resultant work exhibited far and wide (yes, well beyond West Yorkshire), featuring prominently in gallery spaces from that there London to Japan, and more recently Los Angeles. Yeah, the American one. Where his unique compositions have shared wall-space with some of the globe’s best-known street/urban artists.

Bring things smack, bang up to date, Everett’s new work (including originals and giclee limited editions) seemingly embodies all of his influences and conveys his totally unique style of painting. Infinitely-observed fine lines of random spectrum, passionately embrace colour and ultimately inject life into his now instantly recognisable ‘Scallywag and Fairies’ and ‘Once Upon a Grime' collections.