Joseph Craig English

at Sterling & Burke, Washington, DC

 

From the beginning of his life, Joseph Craig English was destined to become an artist. His mother ordained it, telling his father before he was born, that if this baby was a boy he would be an artist. As soon as he was able to hold a brush, he was encouraged to paint. His early efforts were brightly colored and energetic, not unlike his work today. He was introduced to silkscreen printmaking by his 10th grade art teacher and fell in love with the intense color and flat finish of the inks. By 1972 he had begun printing in earnest. Working as a designer at an advertising agency in Washington, DC, by day, and printing at night and through the weekends he soon grew frustrated with the split careers. In 1974 he resigned from the agency and devoted all his time to painting and making his silkscreen prints.