Caya Crum

Caya Crum, Fort Worth artist
Caya Crum, Fort Worth artist and muralist

Caya Crum is a Fort Worth artist known for bold, modern Texas art: cowboys, cats, horses and Texas icons in saturated color and pop-western style. She sees the magic, beauty and humor in the world, and knows its sadness and loneliness too. She puts her work out there to make the world a more joyful, colorful and connected place.

How she started

She has been selling her art since kindergarten, when she set up in her family's front yard to sell paintings to fans parking and walking to TCU games. She did remarkably well, and she never stopped. Two decades later the front yard has become a Fort Worth studio, a booth at the state's best-loved art shows, and walls around the city.

Where she's going

Caya is finishing her studio art degree at TCU's College of Fine Arts and growing three things at once: original paintings, murals and public art, and live event painting. Her work has already been licensed for television and collected from Round Top to Austin to San Antonio, and she painted a soccer ball for Sundance Square's FIFA World Cup initiative. Next up: more murals, more new paintings, and a full show calendar (see upcoming events).

Favorite places

A devoted world traveler, Caya's favorite places include Hobart, Tasmania, home to MONA, her favorite museum in the world; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Glastonbury, England, the legendary Avalon of Arthurian myth. And Fort Worth, always.

TCU connections

Caya is a third-generation TCU family member, following her grandparents and great-grandparents to the university, where her great-grandparents first met. She studied at NYU's Summer Arts Intensive, completed a TCU study-abroad program in Florence, and has traveled on TCU-sponsored art study trips to New York, Chicago and Santa Fe. She created the artwork for TCU's 2024 Homecoming, has held solo exhibitions at TCU's Moudy Gallery in the School of Art, has painted for the TCU Alumni Association, shows every year at the Horned Frog Holiday Market, and is president of the TCU Run Club.

Inspiration

Mary Beard, obscure documentaries, the old films of Pathé, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the music of Brian Eno, the Cocteau Twins, David Bowie, Angelo Badalamenti and Jeff Buckley. And her life as a Texan.

Off the easel

An avid runner, she logs five to seven miles a day and leads the TCU Run Club. She is a concert-goer first and a sleeper second: this fall she has tickets for Morrissey at Dickies Arena (October 29) and Rufus Wainwright at the Texas Theatre in Dallas (November 14).

Shop Caya Crum prints →   Original paintings for sale →

Muralist

Caya is an accomplished muralist whose work lives out in the community. For The Welman Project, a Fort Worth nonprofit that gets surplus materials to teachers and classrooms, she painted a 55-foot mural, and she has created murals at the Swiss Pastry Shop and The Bearded Lady. In 2021 she won a commission to repurpose the iconic Massey's Restaurant sign, beating out more than 50 artists with far more experience. Her work and her story have been featured in 360 West Magazine (“The Colorful Chronicles of Caya Crum”), Tanglewood Moms and the Fort Worth Report.

Caya Crum's mural for the Welman Project, Fort Worth
The Welman Project, her 55-foot mural
Caya Crum mural at The Bearded Lady, Fort Worth
Mural at The Bearded Lady
Caya Crum with family at the Welman Project mural
At the Welman mural with family

FIFA World Cup 2026 — Sundance Square

In 2026, invited by Sundance Square Arts, Caya hand-painted a soccer ball, “Welcome to Cowtown,” for the downtown Fort Worth FIFA World Cup public art installation on Sundance Square Plaza, one of the giant balls painted by North Texas artists for the Summer of Soccer.

Caya Crum's hand-painted Welcome to Cowtown soccer ball for Sundance Square's FIFA World Cup installation
“Welcome to Cowtown,” Sundance Square, FIFA World Cup 2026. Photo: Justin Anderson
360 West Magazine feature on Caya Crum, The Colorful Chronicles of Caya Crum
Featured in 360 West Magazine, “The Colorful Chronicles of Caya Crum”. Photo: Jill Johnson

On screen

Caya's work appears in Landman, the Taylor Sheridan series from Bosque Ranch Productions on Paramount+, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore. The production licensed two of her paintings, including a piece featured in the show's Patch Café set.

Shows & exhibitions

Caya has shown and sold her work at many of Texas's most loved art events, including:

Commissions & live painting

Caya live-paints events of all kinds, from wedding ceremonies and dinners to gallery nights and pop-ups across Fort Worth (too many to name). She also takes commissions, including pet portraits and personal portraits. Book live wedding or event painting →

Fort Worth Gallery Night at Tulips

For Fort Worth Gallery Night, Caya set up her easel and painted live at Tulips, with her sister Tavi alongside.

Caya Crum painting live at Fort Worth Gallery Night at Tulips
Painting live at Tulips. Photo: Justin Anderson, Bel-Air Ranch
Caya and Tavi Crum with Justin Anderson of Bel-Air Ranch at Fort Worth Gallery Night at Tulips
With Tavi and Justin Anderson of Bel-Air Ranch

Giving back

Giving back is central to Caya's practice. She supports Fort Worth nonprofits by live painting at their events and by donating her work to their auctions, and she has partnered with Camp Fire on live painting.

A Wish With Wings

A Wish With Wings has been making wishes come true since 1982, granting wishes for Texas children with life-threatening medical conditions. Caya's partnership with them raised nearly $5,000 toward those wishes.

A Wish With Wings, making wishes come true since 1982

Mahj for Meals, Tarrant Area Food Bank — October 1, 2026

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, Caya painted live at Mahj for Meals at River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth, the Tarrant Area Food Bank's mahjong fundraiser benefiting its Ready to Learn initiative. She painted an equestrian piece during the event and donated it to the auction, along with additional work. The event raised nearly $400,000 for the food bank, and Caya was happy to be a small part of it. The Tarrant Area Food Bank empowers communities to eliminate hunger by providing food, education and resources.

Caya Crum live painting a horse portrait at Mahj for Meals, the Tarrant Area Food Bank fundraiser at River Crest Country Club, Fort Worth

The Paslay Foundation — Indulge & Inspire, October 11, 2026

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, as soon as Christmas in Cowtown closed, Caya and her sister Tavi made a mad dash to Clay Pigeon in Fort Worth, where Caya painted live at Indulge & Inspire: Casino Tropicana, the Paslay Foundation's annual fundraiser. She painted an orchid during the evening and donated it to the auction. Founded by chef Marcus Paslay and Emily Paslay of From Scratch Hospitality (Clay Pigeon, Piattello, Provender Hall, Walloon's), the foundation raises funds for Fort Worth organizations and professionals who support kids with learning differences: early testing, evidence-based tutoring and individualized help for children with dyslexia, ADHD and autism.

Caya Crum with the orchid painting she painted live and donated at the Paslay Foundation's Indulge & Inspire 2026 at Clay Pigeon, Fort Worth

Christmas in Cowtown, Junior League of Fort Worth — October 7–11, 2026

Caya painted live in the Crum Art booth all week at Christmas in Cowtown, the Junior League of Fort Worth's holiday gift market at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which raises money for the League's community programs. The painting on her easel, Plaid Pony, found a home before the show closed.

Caya Crum painting Plaid Pony live in the Crum Art booth at Christmas in Cowtown 2026, the Junior League of Fort Worth's holiday market

Upcoming events

  • January 15 – February 6, 2027 — the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, its 130th year; find Caya and the family in the Crum Art booth for the full run

In good company

Caya Crum with Western artist Buck Taylor
With Western artist Buck Taylor
Caya Crum with Fort Worth artist Nancy Lamb
With Fort Worth artist Nancy Lamb

Follow Caya on Instagram @heyitscaya and Facebook @caya.crum · See her original paintings, her workshops and her studio site cayacrum.com

Press & features

Featured works

Every Crum Art print is hand-signed by the artist. More on how our prints are made →

Frequently asked questions

Who is Caya Crum?
Caya Crum is a Fort Worth, Texas artist and muralist known for bold, modern Texas and Western art — cowboys, cowgirls, cats, horses and Texas icons in saturated pop color. A studio art major at TCU, she painted a 55-foot mural for the Welman Project, murals at the Swiss Pastry Shop and The Bearded Lady, won the commission to repurpose the Massey's Restaurant sign, and hand-painted the "Welcome to Cowtown" ball for Sundance Square's FIFA World Cup art installation. Her work has been featured in 360 West Magazine, Fort Worth Report and Voyage Dallas. She is the daughter of Crum Art founders Betsy and Carl Crum and the sister of Tavi Crum.

Has Caya Crum's art been on TV?
Yes. Two of her paintings were licensed by Landman, the Taylor Sheridan series on Paramount+ starring Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, including a piece in the show's Patch Café set.

Where can I see Caya Crum's murals in Fort Worth?
At the Welman Project (the 55-foot mural), The Bearded Lady, the Swiss Pastry Shop, and the repurposed Massey's Restaurant sign.

Where can I buy Caya Crum's art?
Hand-signed prints are sold only at crumart.com, printed to order in the family's Fort Worth studio; original paintings and commissions are at cayacrum.com; and she shows in person at Round Top, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Arts Goggle and other Texas art events. Shop Caya Crum art.