BIG Spotlight: Angie Crabtree, Artist

BIG often becomes aware of exceptionally talented people in our industry and we are pleased to introduce you to one of them:

Angie Crabtree.

Painting since the age of four, Angie Crabtree is widely regarded as the world’s first and only professional, diamond portraitist.

Crabtree’s artwork conveys realistically painted diamond facets enlarged 1,000+ times, which allows viewers to experience the small, beautiful gems in an up-close and personal way. Painted in oils on canvas, she uses a classical glazing technique to create a stained-glass effect, reminiscent of 17th century royalty portraiture.

Crabtree painted her first diamond portrait – at a dramatic, five feet tall – while teaching art at a local high school in 2012. It was at that time that she fell in love with diamonds’ symmetrical patterns and began painting every shape, one by one.

“Engagement ring stones, patented cuts and auction diamonds are my muses”.

She left her teaching post in 2015 to pursue her art career full time and was discovered by the jewelry industry via Instagram in 2016. Today, Angie’s work consists of commissioned paintings of diamonds of all different sizes and shapes, including patented and special cuts and valuable auction items.

Each painting begins with a gem. Every diamond is professionally photographed, then hand sketched onto a custom built panel or canvas at 1,000+ it’s original size.

After applying the base coat, Crabtree paints every facet one by one, in multiple layers. Each layer takes 1 to 2 weeks to dry. You can see these and more beautiful diamond portraits in the PORTFOLIO tab on www.angiecrabtree.com.