Jon Crane

Artist Biography

Jon Crane is truly an artist and he travels to great lengths to capture the best of subjects. As he says, he has two studios. One is out of his home in Mystic, South Dakota. The other is his RV, lovingly called "Ed', which he paints out of during his travels around the country with his wife Gail. One thing is for certain: he does not paint "en plein air'. Jon visits real places, takes detailed pictures, and uses this as reference during the hundreds of hours that go into each of his pieces. He uses no white paint, instead working entirely with translucent pigments and a dry brush. The paper beneath is allowed to shine through in areas where white is needed.

His techniques were honed at the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts in 1971. Following his graduation, he served in the Air Force. When he wasn't flying combat missions in Southeast Asia, he was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. While there, Jon fell in love with the Black Hills area. To this day, he and his wife Gail live in their home/studio in Mystic, South Dakota. Artistic talent runs in his veins, with Civil War sketch artist Alfred R. Waud as a great-great grandfather and marine artist Milton J. Burns as a great grandfather. Some Jon Crane favorites have been captured in his 2007 book release "Heartland Legacy: The Art of Jon Crane” and all of it is available for collection as limited edition fine art. Enjoy the beauty of his watercolor work in our Jon Crane gallery… and look closely! Some of his paintings have the names of friends hidden in them.

Jon Crane Art, Prints and Posters Collection