Tom Cramer

Who is Tom Cramer?

Tom Cramer is an American artist working in Portland, Oregon. He is mostly noted for his intricately carved and painted wood reliefs. Often called the unofficial Artist Laureate of Portland, Cramer is one of the most visible and successful artists in the city and is represented by The Laura Russo Gallery.

Cramer made a name for himself in the 1980s and 1990s becoming a bridge between historical Oregon artists like Clifford Gleason and Milton Wilson and the international influx of new artists to the city since the mid-1990s.

Since his schooling in the early 1980s at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, Tom Cramer has perhaps become Portland's most widely seen artist. An Oregon native, Cramer is a devout populist. He's made custom-painted cars. He's carved sculptures and wall reliefs He's done gallery shows. He even designed the set and costumes for James Canfield's 1995 dance "Jungle" at Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Cramer went to the same High school as Gus Van Sant and appeared briefly in his feature film My Own Private Idaho.