Thomas Theodore Craig earned a bachelor’s degree in botany from Pomona College; he also studied with the historian José Pijón y Soteras, who awakened in him an interest in the arts. Craig later studied in Los Angeles with Frank Tolles Chamberlin (1873-1961), whom he considered his principal teacher, and Clarence Hinkle (1880-1960) as well as with ANDREW DASBURG in Taos, New Mexico. For a short time Craig worked as a scientific illustrator but soon switched to the fine arts, teaching in the Los Angeles area at Occidental College, 1937-39, the University of Southern California, 1939, and Chouinard Art Institute, 1946-50. He was most identified with the medium of watercolor and become an active member of the California Water Color Society. He first specialized in landscapes of the Northern California coast and mountains, but during the late 1930s, with his adoption of oils, he expanded his repertoire to include figure painting and portraiture. He painted until 1950.

Solo exhibitions of his work were organized by the San Francisco Art Association in 1937, the Los Angeles Museum in 1940, and the Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries in New York in 1942. During World War II Craig recorded battle scenes in Italy for Life magazine.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thomas Craig, "Thomas Craig," San Francisco Art Association Bulletin 4 (May-July 1938): 3 § Alfred Frankenstein, "Tom Craig’s Water Colors," Magazine of Art 31 (October 1938): 576-78, 604-5 § "Thomas Craig Discusses His Painting," American Artist 5 (June 1941): 20-23 § Arthur Millier, "Our Artists in Person, no. 40: Thomas Craig," Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1942, pt. 3, p. 5 § Moure 1975, pp. 11, 37, with bibliography.