Carey Crane Mixed Media Painting — NM Period, Framed

An original mixed-media painting/collage by Las Cruces-based artist Carey Crane (cranepaints.com), created during his New Mexico period (2010–2016) — his most critically active phase, marked by solo and group exhibitions across the region. Crane holds a BFA from the University of Florida, where he studied under Hiram Williams, a noted master of painterly figurative-abstraction. His work draws on collage, impasto acrylic, gestural drawing, and found materials in an improvisational, process-driven approach he describes as a "conversation" with emerging forms.

This vertically oriented canvas presents two heavy impasto zones stacked on an expressive ground of cerulean blue, teal, and sweeping brown gesture marks. The upper form is built in warm burnt orange and sienna with layered brushwork; the lower carries a gritty graphite-gray surface embedded with Doña Ana County red sand aggregate — a material unique to the Chihuahuan Desert landscape surrounding Las Cruces. Orange paint spatter punctuates the lower register, and gold-toned horizontal strokes bind the composition. The piece is mounted in a hand-painted black wood floater frame with no glass, leaving the textured surface fully exposed. Signature present lower right. Exhibited artist with a documented record including solo shows at Unsettled Gallery (Las Cruces), RioBravoFineArt (Truth or Consequences, NM), and juried exhibitions with the Maryland Federation of Art. A strong acquisition from a regionally recognized artist at auction price.

CONDITION

Good. Painted and textured surface is intact — no cracking, lifting, or aggregate loss. Canvas shows no deformation. Frame edges have minor handling wear consistent with age. Signature lower right is present but faint under casual viewing. No restoration detected.

DIMENSIONS

Overall (framed): 16½" H × 8½" W × 2¼" D Visible canvas: 15⅞" H × 7⅞" W Medium: Acrylic, collage, Doña Ana County red sand aggregate on stretched canvas