Carla Crawford graduated with degrees in Studio Art and Italian Language from the University of California, Davis, where she studied under painter Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud encouraged Carla to study abroad at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy — city of painter Giorgio Morandi — where she remained for two years. While studying contemporary art in Italy, Carla became enamored with the tradition of classical oil painting. Having decided to devote her full-time efforts to drawing and painting in the classical tradition, Carla moved to New York to complete a course of study at the Grand Central Atelier.

Her current process for each piece involves long hours of careful drawing, a meticulous underpainting, and several layers of paint to create the desired finish. As a painter her interest is primarily in small scenes of daily intimacy and she’s drawn to scenes that capture introspective moments, typically portraying friends and family members. Her objective is to portray her models as faithfully as possible without idealization. Crawford states, “In my painting practice, I find nature in its detail endlessly intriguing, and a challenge worthy of continued study. While I work in a classical manner, I am most interested in painting the people from my personal life, and it is my hope that the work captures this mix of both the traditional and contemporary.”

The subject of this portrait is the daughter of a friend, Jasmine, whose bold elegance exudes a sense of inner resilience.