“Where I come From”

Celebrating Charles Criner
Artist in residence at The Houston Printing Museum.

  • "I knew that I was going to be an artist because my mother and Grandmother told me I was... So I had to be."

    - Charles Criner

  • "My grandmother was a professional cotton picker... although it's been bad to us, it's the reason I'm here."

    - Charles Criner

  • "...If you don't do this work, it won't be done. That is really the basis for what I do."

    - Charles Criner

The feature on Charles Criner titled "Where I Come From", an artist-in-residence at the Houston Printing Museum, was designed to play every half hour in the museum as an overview of the artist before visitors walked into his exhibit.

Our vision for this retrospective exhibit film was to showcase the life and experience behind the art of Criner. Through the use of dynamic camera techniques, and intimate shots of the detail of Criner's artwork and hands, we visually supported his life story in an engaging and memorable way.

We utilized a multi-camera setup to capture this interview to ensure that we could maximize our production design and the limited time our crew had with the artist. Historical images and footage, such as a billboard he painted in Houston, added a documentary feel to the project, grounding his narrative in real-world events.

The video concluded with Criner sharing his lifelong lessons—what art has meant to him and what he's learned over nearly 80 years, touching on his experiences as an African American artist who lived through segregation. His reflective thoughts offered a powerful and introspective close to the piece.