Crispin Akerman has earned a significant reputation for the elegant simplicity and fine balance he achieves within his favoured genre of still life painting.He uses a timeless vocabulary of domestic items such as fruit, ceramics, eggs, pitchers and books, presented against the textural folds of table linen and drapery.  Crispin uses props which are readily at hand and while they are largely observational, he explains, “the subjects allow for the exploration of harmony, balance/tension, light and atmosphere.  In still life, these everyday items become great subjects for the study of objects in space.  These paintings explore their intimate nature in a non-specific location”.  Still life did not emerge as a genre in its own right until the early 17th century, where it had its greatest currency in central Europe.  Often collections of objects were arranged to display a painter’s virtuosity, or put together in association with each other to have a significance beyond their individual appearance.  The elements that Crispin finds so interesting about his genre are “the contemplative potential in it, the suggestion of the kinetic in the static, [and] the metaphysical promise present in the very words ‘still life’ ”.

Born in England, Crispin Akerman came to Australia with his family in 1966.  He spent many years in the music industry but decided in 1989 to pursue his lifelong interest in the visual arts.   He received a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Canberra School of Art in 1992 and has since received significant recognition for his painting.  Crispin’s first solo exhibition was held at Beaver Galleries in 1995 and his popularity has gone from strength to strength with each exhibition.  Crispin’s paintings are represented in the collections of Artbank, Parliament House, BHP Billiton, and the Australian National University.