Based in central Pennsylvania, Craig Everhard specializes in oil painting. His background in drawing and design has laid a solid foundation and defines the discipline of all his works. Today the artist spends a great deal of time painting full-size oil canvases of almost any subject matter. "I mostly look to the beauty of God's nature for my ideas. That of course explains my interest in painting realism, but it also inspires me to paint abstracts. There are some who argue that real Art can only be found in a realistic painting. I would respond by saying that God is the finest abstract painter of us all. Sometimes we just need to look closer."

Craig Everhard studied under Thomas Wise, Ted Fitzkee, Virgil Sova and Othmar Carli at The York Academy of Arts in York, Pennsylvania. There he received intensive training in the classic techniques of figure painting and portraiture. "Specifically, the methods of Jacques Maroger (1885 - 1962) as they relate to light and shade; the utilization of opacity and translucency to achieve extremely convincing form impacted me a lot. Those years I still fondly consider to be some of the best of my life. My ideas and inspiration would continually expand as a result of the training I received at YAA." In his senior year Everhard won both the 1975 Painting Award, and the Two-color Illustration Award, and graduated with an Associates Degree in Illustration.

In 1976 he was hired by Armstrong World Industries to create and produce patterns and textures for their rotogravure floor design team, and eventually to color entire product lines. That constant exposure to nuances of color and their value relationships was something that enlarged his understanding of color possibilities. After working there for five years, Everhard decided to delve into the world of commercial design as a freelance artist. "After three years, the hustle and bustle of graphic design and with too few interesting assignments, my longing for Fine Art compelled me to make another move. So I returned to school and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from Millersville University." Since graduating there in 1987, he has been a public and private art instructor.

From September 1991 through March 1995 Craig Everhard was employed by Pennsylvania School of Art & Design, in Lancaster PA, as the Coordinator of the ever-expanding Saturday Youth Program and the Summer Youth Program, where he instructed the 10-12th grade groups. "In the autumn of 1994 I was invited by Ted Fitzkee to instruct the Portraiture class during Fitzkee's sabbatical leave. During that same period I was contacted by Sight & Sound Theatres, in Strasburg PA to do design and color work for an upcoming production." World renown for their Bible-based theatrical productions, Sight & Sound was on the verge of a tremendous future where each new scenic production would out-do the one before it. The potential for both personal and professional development became irresistible, but required a full-time commitment and every ounce of creative energy. After three years of designing and painting large scale backdrop sets and scenes on a 50' by 200' wrap-around stage, Everhard was promoted to Charge Scenic Artist, where he managed a crew of 8 in the Finish and Paint Teams. At that time Everhard became the primary source for designing the color and texture treatments in several large productions, as well as Team Leader and trainer of the groups. He remained with Sight & Sound for 12 years.

"From a creative standpoint, a tremendous benefit resulted from my employment as a scenic artist for those twelve years. I had nearly spent as much time working with 4 inch brushes and gallon-sized paint cans as I had in my own studio. Or at least it seemed that way. I would never be the same. My palette had become a wall of shelves with around 100 cans of paint in any color I wanted. I developed many different skills and techniques, and a greater confidence with color and application."

In March of 2005, Craig Everhard finally decided it was time to do what had become increasingly clear was his first calling. "In reality my painting career had really begun in the summer of 1975 when I started to paint because I wanted and needed to, and not because of a particular assignment. I didn't know it then but in my heart I was already a Fine Artist. Retrospectively speaking, I probably spent too many years chasing down a 'way of living', rather than throwing caution to the wind and launching my own career. Regardless, I always continued to paint and draw. Long ago I discovered that real fulfillment only comes through personal growth and with accomplishing something special in my home studio. A challenge that can be both exhilarating and burdensome in a way. Possibly because I couldn't stand it if too many breathtaking sunsets or beautiful arrangements in light got away without recording what I saw them to be."

"In my travels I have been to museums in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Brandywine, Wilmington and many others here in America, along with several museums in London and Paris. I continue to search out the finest paintings and drawings in the world with my wonderful wife, Kristin, because I need to. My dream is to be one of these artists who do truly excellent work. I always believed that painting 'gallery level' work is not enough. I desire to produce museum level works, and have dedicated my life to reaching that goal."

CraigEverhardArtist.com is now proud to offer limited edition, fine art giclée prints of many of his original paintings. The prints are numbered and signed by the artist and are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Please visit the Print Store section of this website for details and selection.