Craig Marshal Wilson was born in Georgia in 1973 and grew up in Forsyth, a small rural county 50 miles north of Atlanta, where the foothills of the mountains gradually blend into the flatlands of farming communities. Memories of searching lakeshores for driftwood and fishing lures, and exploring the mountains for animal bones and arrowheads, fostered a treasure hunter’s eye that shaped his creative vision. Wilson considers his ultimate role a collector, and his greatest passion is the “thrill of the hunt,” as he pursues his perceptions and captures the region’s flora, fauna, folktales, and faith traditions. These elements give Southern Appalachia and his life their dynamic, sometimes conflicting character. At the core, his paintings and sculptures follow the time-honored philosophy of the front porch, a transition zone between public and private spaces. This philosophy finds satisfaction in the simplicity of a slower pace, “making do” with what you have, connecting with community, belief in a higher power, and expressing the wonders of life by spinning a good yarn.

 Wilson is an Associate Professor of Visual Arts and has been teaching since 2001. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the University of Georgia, Athens, in 1999, and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2002. He has taught at the University of North Georgia since 2007, focusing on painting and drawing, and serving as the Foundations Coordinator, overseeing the fundamental levels of both two- and three-dimensional design. He frequently exhibits his artwork in regional, national, and international venues. He and his wife, Angela, live in Oakwood, Georgia, and are passionate collectors of folk and outsider art.

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