Maysey Craddock b. 1971- The theme of reclamation pervades Maysey Craddock’s art practice. From the eroding coastlines of the Gulf of Mexico, to the crumbling edifices of the deep South, to the choice of her materials, Craddock embraces the past, to a nostalgic time of innocence, before the impacts of both man and nature have taken their toll. These soulful paintings in gouache and watercolor explore matters of impermanence, reclamation, memory, and entropy. The artist photographs her subject matter before interpreting the images onto found paper, often pieces of common grocery bags hand stitched together. Creases and makers-marks contribute to the texture of the landscape. The object-ness of the bag, the wrinkled terrain, and the history of use are part of what attracts Craddock to her surfaces. 

Maysey Craddock currently lives and works in Memphis, TN. She received a MFA from Maine College of Art and a BFA from Tulane University. She has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of the University of Mississippi, Oxford; Stanier Gallery, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA; the Baum Art Gallery, University of Central Arkansas, Conway; and the Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN. Likewise, she has been included in exhibitions at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton; Walton Art Center, Fayetteville, AK; McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX; Dixon Museum of Art, Memphis, TN, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA; Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans, and Hunter Museum, Chattanooga. Craddock has received many fellowships including the APSU Tennessee Artist Fellowship, and a Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship, and has participated in artist residencies both in the US and Germany, including the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus Residency and the Vermont Studio Center Residency. Her work is also part of many public and private collections such as the Brooks Museum of Art, The Arkansas Arts Center, Federal Express, Nordstrom, and Pfizer Corporation, among others.