Craig Ennew creates a unique combination of decoupage, collage and montage through his use of mixed media. He has an extensive collection of source images, backgrounds and texts; and he collates ideas and notes in a lovely series of scrapbooks. These are then manipulated (either digitally or by hand) to create an initial digital work. He then works with prints of the works, layering them meticulously, and backing them to give the work an added dimension.
Typically, Craig's sources of inspiration include surreal and dream imagery, stirring up deep and sometimes disturbing half-memories of childhood and the past. Other works are lighter and infused with a gently subversive humour. Often, there is a strong textual element in the work. Craig's experiences as a teacher of Literature leave strong impressions of original textual compositions that run through the pieces; and the text is often layered and stepped to create added effect. Images from the post-war era abound: ephemera and curiosities from the 1940s and 1950s move in and out of the pieces, capturing both nostalgic and repressed feelings of a bygone era - there is a distinctly 'English' feel to many of the works.
Craig Ennew lives and works in Wiltshire. He has exhibited across the country: including as part of a recent touring exhibition of Sir Peter Blake's 'Alphabet' series. His work has been featured in the press.
