Jaime Crain is a fine artist and graphic designer based in
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Her work draws upon themes such as
the beauty and downfalls of the human mind. She uses oil paint and chalk pastels to convey intense emotional expression.
Jaime is currently employed as the design editor for Whitworth University's publication, Natsihi. She also works as the art department's media coordinator. Jaime will graduate from Whitworth University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in
two-dimensional art and graphic design. She has received
three art talent awards and scholarships from Whitworth
and is pursuing a career as an entrepreneurial artist.
About the Artist
Drawing from my experience with extreme emotional highs and lows, primary themes in my work are the beauty and power of the human mind as well as its inevitable downfalls. Consequently, my motivation to create work is to express the intensity of certain emotions, memories, and dreams using the human figure. My paintings combine portraiture with nonobjective and often abstract environments. While all my work is representational, realism is not my primary objective. I enjoy creating heightened and dramatic color palettes that push my work in a contemporary direction.
I use oil paint because I appreciate that the slow drying time allows for alterations throughout the process. This lets me keep up with my ideas as they change and expand. While creating, it is important that I can physically move around and view my work from a distance. The part of the painting process that gives me the most energy is the final stage in which I can refine my work, giving it a sense of completeness and intentionality.
In my graphic design work, I use color and an illustrative style to communicate messages. By using high-contrast and pastel color palettes, I evoke joy. My use of illustration and hand-lettering helps to make my designs personal. I am inspired by the lettering and typefaces of Laura Worthington and Dave Foster because their style combines classic and contemporary aesthetics. A team of designers who have inspired my use of pastel colors are Violaine Orsoni & Jeremy Scheider. I appreciate the classic feel of their designs and hope to emulate that in some of my work.
I approach each project by planning and sketching on paper. Because consistent and appealing color is important in my work, I choose a palette early in the design process. I then create any necessary illustrative elements or hand-lettering using Adobe Illustrator Draw or Procreate. In this phase, I may also choose to utilize Photoshop and Lightroom to enhance images. To solidify my layout, I work in Indesign or Illustrator.
My goal as a designer is to capture attention and to brighten any space, whether it be a store shelf, a living room, or an office. Through my use of inviting colors and imagery, I believe my work fulfills these goals.
