Terry Crum’s interest in art began at a very young age. He recalls looking through the family book of American presidents and drawing each of them. In school he often created cartoons. Family vacations to Taos, New Mexico, solidified his deep passion.
“I was really drawn to the art there,” Crum says. “From early artists, Joseph Henry Sharp, Walter Ufer, E.I. Couse, and W. Herbert Dunton, to later artists like R.C. Gorman and Fritz Scholder.”
Photographer Richard Avedon’s “In the American West” had a big impact on him and other influencers include John Singer Sargent and Richard Diebenkorn.
Crum worked for Williamson Printing in Dallas for 30 years.
“I worked with some of the greatest designers and graphic artists in the nation,” he says. “This exposure to beautiful images and powerful design informs my artistic desires and methods.”
He was living in Southlake, Texas, in 2009 when fellow artist Randy Martin invited him to show and sell his work from the Flying Fish Gallery in Ben Wheeler, Texas. Martin and his wife Sherrie owned and operated the eclectic shop for several years there and they had a good eye for talent.
“It was great,” Crum says. “Randy helped me so much and I loved the Flying Fish.”
“Jaunet Et Noir”
Crum’s early paintings of stylish women on worn cardboard are part of his Mystique collection. They were a big hit for the shop’s clientele.
“I started painting on cardboard simply because I had the urge to paint, but didn’t have a canvas available at the time,” he says. “So I did a quick little piece that turned out well, got it framed, and took it to the Flying Fish. Randy had it sold by the time I got it from the car to the gallery. So I thought I would just do that for a while and it was very successful.”
“Italiana Moderna No. 10”
Crum’s success in East Texas spurred a move to Tyler in 2020 when he retired. He first set up a studio in a large storage unit and did that for a couple of years until moving his studio to his house for convenience.
He works in oils pretty much exclusively.
“My style is very eclectic. I do figurative, landscapes, and am currently working in a more graphic style.”
He says his process is motivated by a need to create images that are impactful.
“That’s one of the reasons I like working on a large scale. For landscapes, I want an image that draws the viewer in, that evokes a memory, an emotion, and a sense of place. For a figurative piece, I want the viewer to feel the presence and emotion of the subject. For a graphic piece, I want the viewer to enjoy the color, the design, and maybe feel a little surprised.’
Like most artists, creating art was a little intimidating in the beginning but comes much easier now.
“I have more confidence, but I do get surprised during the process. It’s really all about problem solving and reacting to what I’ve already put on the canvas.”
“Buffalo & Flying Prairie Chicken – Left”
He hopes viewers will enjoy his work but getting it right for himself is important.
“Mostly I want to like the work myself, but I obviously want the viewer to like the piece. Hopefully, they will like what I like. I hope they proudly display the work and that it brings a smile when they see it in their home or office or wherever. I always enjoy hearing from the collector and seeing photos of the piece when it is in its new home.”
While another artist told him once not to fall in love with his art, but “just go paint another,” he admits feeling bittersweet when he makes a sale. Some sales do form good memories though.
“I had a collector that bought an early work that I had done on cardboard. Her home was later featured in D Home Magazine. That made me very happy. It was an image of a woman facing a man whose back faced the viewer. She contacted me a few years afterward and wanted a companion piece to the first one. This one which would tell the story with the man facing the woman and the woman’s back to the viewer. And that made me doubly happy.”
“Willie”
Crum’s work was recently featured in an exhibition at Hinds Fine Art Gallery in Tyler and he’s hoping to have shows in other venues in the Upper East Side of Texas. In April he’s participating in a show at Royce Myers Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Featuring musical icons, his six pieces are paintings of Johnny Cash, Elvis, Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Prince, and Buddy Holly.
His work is also for sale at LaMontage Gallery in Lewisville and he’s in the process of setting up an eCommerce website on Shopify. He continues to find inspiration all around.
“While I have not painted any of the local environs (yet), the beauty, pace of life, and the wonderful people of East Texas enliven my spirit and inspire me to create,” he says.
See more of his work and links to purchase on TerryCrumStudio.com.
Artist Terry Crum hangs out with his granddog Howdy.