About the Artist: Since 1984, Craig R. Contor has worked in fisheries research in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.  He was born in the Colorado Rockies and spent his youth in the national Parks and  national monuments of the western United States.  Traveling to and living in or near National Parks and adjacent public lands provided a lifetime of opportunity to observe wildlife, their tracks, and their habitats.  Some of his favorite areas include The North Fork Umatilla Wilderness, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA), Rocky Mountain National Park (NP), Sawtooth NRA, Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP,  Arches NP, Canyon Lands NP, North Cascades NP, Olympic NP, Katmai NP, and Denali NP. 

Craig began his art career in 1979.  Working with pen and ink, water color, colored pencils, acrylics, oil and stone, Craig creates original art work for private interests and scientific illustrations. 

About the Tracks:  For some, finding a track on a crisp morning far from the sound of traffic can make a fond memory.  The framed tracks can provide a pleasant reminder of all the tracks we’ve seen over the years as we’ve traversed the wild landscapes of this earth.  It might be the memory of the first deer track your father showed you when you were just a child, or the leopard tracks you found in the Kalahari telling how the ostrich was stalked and taken, or your lingering image of a huge grizzly track in the sand, slowly filling with water, building the reflection of a mountain ridge above a stream of crystal clear water somewhere north of civilization. 

The notion for wilderness tracks came from the enjoyment of finding fresh cougar tracks in the snow after spending too many long days and weekends in the office.  The technique similar to the Japanese art of gyotaku.  Each wilderness track is a unique original transfer from an animal.  The transfers include the evidence of the hair of the foot around the pads adding to the richness of the image.  Each individually numbered original track has the common name as well as genus and species of the animal on the back of the frame.  Commissioned pieces may include a brief history of the animal laminated on the back of the frame if provided by the customer.

"Keep It Wild"