Featured Needlepoint Artist
Raymond Crawford
Look in
any corner of the country: North, South, East or West
and you'll be hard-pressed to find a needlepoint shop
that doesn't carry Raymond Crawford's designs. His
stuff is everywhere. Ask a stitcher to name a few
of their favorite designers, and Raymond will be among
the first mentioned. It took a while for him to build
his enviable reputation, but he has found the "sweet
spot" as he likes to call it. It took more than
a decade of hard work, dedication and perseverance,
but he's made it to the top.
Raymond had always wanted to be an artist.
He began drawing as a child, went to school, earned
a degree and became a teacher before beginning a long
and storied career creating window displays, at first
for Neiman Marcus in Dallas and later with several
of the larger stores in Chicago.
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www.raymondcrawford.com
raymond@raymondcrawford.com |
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After 20 years in the business, he left
retail and moved back to Dallas where he began designing
needlepoint canvases. Years earlier, Raymond had painted
a few designs for his former high school art teacher, Karen
McVean of Strictly Christmas.
Raymond described Karen as one of his closest friends.
"She introduced me to an arena in which I believed
I could excel. So after many years in retail, I decided
to completely change direction and strike out on my own.
We've been friends for more than 30 years," he added.
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Raymond finds himself inspired by the world around him: the
Worldwide Web, magazines, television, film, even his friends
and neighbors. By closely watching marketing trends and
advertising, Raymond is able ensure that his designs are
always current.
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"You have to know what you're looking
for," he explained. "If I come up with a theme
I really like, I go for it," he said. "But if
turns out not to be a big seller, I put it aside and move
in another direction. Sometimes it hurts my sensibilities,
but if you're going to be successful you have to put your
ego aside."
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Raymond's advice to budding designers: "If
there's one thing I've learned over the years,
it's that no one ever really knows what will sell.
You have to find your niche, toss the dice and
see what happens. Creating designs people want
to buy is never easy. It's always a gamble, but
you have to believe you will be successful and
keep at it."
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Raymond's home studio is in Dallas, Texas,
where he devotes more than 40 hours a week to designing.
Life has never been better. His initial foray into the
"world of needlepoint" had been fairly brief.
But after returning to his boyhood home, his creative juices
flowed as never before. He has finally hit his stride and
the results speak for themselves.
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Right now, Raymond Crawford is at the top of his game. |
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