Imagine a trek of 500 miles across the Carolinas, a bag of oils, a couple dozen canvases, and a journal of life-history in your sketchbook. From Lowland Gullah Geechee to Blue Ridge mountain folk, artist Craig Ragsdale is making that painterly pilgrimage. He calls it Carolina Crossroads.
In 2025, Craig’s quest began in the Carolina coastal plains. Over time he’s headed into the Piedmont (his studio/homeland, Greenville, South Carolina). The foothills follow. Then the mountain passes.
And finally in the Southern Appalachians (Blue Ridge), ending in Highlands. Many of the cultures he portrays are nations-within-nations, protecting their heritage against modern-day development.
Craig’s a bit of a Dorothea Lange photo-journalist, only he documents with a palette knife (impasto). Like Dorothea he finds his story-givers on magical trails.
“All of my pieces have been painted with palette knives,” says Craig. “It’s a lot of fun. I wanted to incorporate a lot of texture. I apply heavy oil paints to create a physical texture, layers that deepen the story with experience and history. It’s a physical texture.”
One of his Lowlands works featured Gullah Geechees, descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans who created a distinct Creole culture and language (Gullah) while living in relative isolation on the Sea Islands along the Atlantic coast. They’re known for preserving deep African traditions in basketry, food, and spirituality.
The Gullah Geechee sweetgrass basket makers tell their story with their hands…handing down, so to speak. Grandmothers pass along age-old knowledge (300 years or more). Originally coiled baskets were used in agricultural labor on plantations. Today, the baskets are still functional, but they’ve become artistic icons of Gullah beauty and history.
This is just one of about 25 stories captured in Craig’s inspiration. He is connected in dozens of ways in his community. In fact, wherever he goes, he is embraced, which is why his work is so compelling. People he paints exchange images, feelings, and history in a deep, almost spiritual way. That’s why his layers of oils express mystic and transcendent deep breath-moments when you view his work.
Craig will bring his paintings to Highlands at the Mountaintop Art and Craft Show, the Summer Colors Show in Sapphire, and the Leaf Festival in Cashiers in October.
Craig says, “To contact me, email craig@craigragsdale.com; visit craigragsdale.com; or travel along with me on my artistic journey via Instagram: @craig_ragsdale.”
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