It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Charles Criner, a visionary artist and beloved figure in Houston’s art community, who left us on September 17, 2025.

Encouraged by his family, he pursued formal education at Texas Southern University, graduating in 1968 under the mentorship of Dr. John Biggers, who introduced him to lithography and emphasized the rawness of life, family, and cultural heritage in art. 

Charles’s work beautifully captures his childhood memories and the Black experience — scenes of fishing in East Texas streams, people laboring in fields, and intimate personal narratives that served as windows into our past. A master of lithography, he created multiples using waxed crayon drawings on stone, often pulling prints on a 150-year-old antique press, and sometimes transforming imperfect ones into original acrylic paintings.

Charles’s legacy as an artist, educator, and storyteller will endure. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. Rest in power, Charles — your light continues to shine through your art.