Check Out Craig Greco’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Greco.

Hi Craig, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story begins in 2011 while working a desk job that couldn’t keep my attention.

I received an email that had been forwarded around the office. It contained several photos of a chalk artist who had drawn elaborate 3D images all over. I scrolled through the email fascinated with his work but found myself increasingly jealous of someone living a life of seemingly endless fun and creative freedom. By the end of the email, I was determined I would teach myself to draw right then and there. It was a moment of clarity, focus, and absolute determination. I knew I would succeed.

I told myself it couldn’t be that difficult to understand. I broke his chalk drawings down in terms I could understand and view them as lines, shadows, and highlights. Suddenly, everything made sense. I saw it for what it was, a composition of many pieces instead of one elaborate work. It honestly felt like divine intervention. An awakening!

From that moment, I began sketching replicas of the chalk art photos with a pencil and printer paper. They came out very well. I understood. What I thought I knew was transitioning onto paper. There’s a feeling of power in that kind of success.

I began searching for additional chalk art images to continue practicing drawing. What I stumbled upon wasn’t chalk art at all. Instead, I came across YouTube videos of Ed Hubbs, an airbrush artist from Oregon. I watched all of Ed’s videos as he gave tutorials on how to airbrush all sorts of things. I was hooked and felt empowered! I wrote Ed an email and he wrote back immediately explaining what items I needed to purchase to get started. It seemed like a giant leap from an hour or two previous where I had never drawn so much as a stick figure but I was confident and riding a euphoric wave.

I placed the order and immediately began conjuring up ideas of what to paint. My wife was pregnant with our first child at the time and worked three doors down in the same office. I ran down to her full of excitement showed her a handful of drawings and proposed I paint the baby’s nursery. She thought I was nuts! She asked if I knew how to paint. I said no but reminded her I just learned to draw earlier that afternoon.

We discussed classic cartoons and settled on a Peanuts theme. I drew up a layout of the room and with my new airbrush kit and a whole lot of faith, I started spraying, days later. I thought it turned out pretty cool! It was a labor of love. I couldn’t have been more proud. As it turned out, everyone else seemed to think it was pretty neat too.

In the coming months, I’d watch YouTube and purchase various tutorials from renowned artists. I understood the instruction and applied the techniques. Within six months I had painted exceptional portraits and focused on learning as much as I possibly could. I built on every painting, pushing my skill and striving to paint something new, constantly seeking uncomfortable projects because I knew that’s where growth came from.

I began selling commissioned portraits, ornaments, various canvas paintings, small wall murals, and vehicles. Each project required more skill and spawned new clients. There was a direct return on investment. I began seeking more uncomfortable projects, painting business murals and public service vehicles. Each project was scary as hell because I saw no room for error and there was always a point of no return which fueled the fire. There was a euphoric, emboldened high with each finished job.

The passion to chase that high and greater challenges led me to reach out to NFL players offering my services on game cleats. In the spring of 2020, I began painting cleats for Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker. I painted for him all season including two playoff games and Super Bowl 55 where I painted for Butker, Rashad Fenton, and Chris Lammons. Since then I have painted cleats for the New York City Redbulls Major League Soccer team, an Egyptian soccer team, and many youth clients nationwide.

My artwork now spans worldwide and features everything from portraits painted on live edge wood to kitchen appliances, footwear, military gear for deployed service members and the list goes on.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a pretty smooth road, all considered. I owe a lot of thanks to Ed Hubbs, Jason Prouty, and Cory St. Clair for their advice, tutorials, and support as I’ve grown over the years. Without them, there’s no telling where I’d be!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I custom paint anything that’ll sit still. My artwork is predominately commissioned therefore, it spans from shoes and bar murals to cornhole boards and KitchenAid mixers. I’m known for creating art with depth, texture, and a sense of realism not commonly found.

My portraits and design composition are what set me apart from others. I want to smash every project out of the park and create overwhelming emotion with each finished piece.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I paint because it’s an opportunity to bring happiness and life to an otherwise stale object. There’s nothing more satisfying than creating emotion with art!

Pricing:

• Custom artwork on footwear starts at $200
• All other artwork is bid individually due to the unique character of each project.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.grecopaintworks.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/grecopaintworks
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/grecopaintworks

Image Credits
Craig Greco, Jacob Clark