Ford Crull, born in Seattle and living in New York City, deep dives into the power of personal and cultural symbols in his vivid
artworks.
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Crull uses symbols such as hearts, wings, crosses and the human figure joining to form geometric or abstract representations whose aspects are less explicit.
The artist introduces himself and his artworks by explaining how these well-known symbols can influence what we believe in and help for our identity. His biggest source of inspiration are the Symbolists from the 19th century, particularly Odilon Redon, James Ensor and Gustave Moreau.
Furthermore, Crull expressed how art is significant and intricate to him, as every human sees something different in his works based on their personal life experiences. This is why Crull firmly trusts "the brush knows more than the mind."
Kooness: How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it and doesn't know you?
Ford Crull: I am fascinated by symbols and how they affect our lives. Symbols have an intrinsic power that encapsulate drama and history.
K: What inspires you on a daily basis?
FC: The amount of information we can access today is very abundant. It makes it complicated to have one thought and define our culture and experience uniquely. With AI, it becomes even harder, at least for me.
K: How does your work interconnect?
FC: You will feel close to some paintings, thanks to the elegance of symbols and icons depicted. In these cases, the piece works. It means that the represented symbols influence our lives unconsiously, without even realizing it.
K: What are your thoughts whille developing your artworks?
FC: I do my best to avoid overthinking as it may disrupt the natural unfolding of the painting. What I always say is that the brush knows more than the mind. The creative process is an innate sensibility one has to trust. I often keep jazz music as a background noise to avoid overthinking.
K: How do you choose the artworks titles?
FC: They just pop into my head or show up somewhere. A few years ago, Bob Dylan was asked about his lyrics when he was young, and he said the same thing. They just come naturally.
K: How do you control where the process takes you?
FC: The process is never the same. Some days it is when I wake up; other times it is seriously late. I have no control over when I work. It is not a 9-5 job. It happens when it happens.
K: What are the parts of being a fine artist that you struggle with?
FC: Everything!
K: What was your earliest art creation?
FC: I would say about eight years old when I produced a work that everybody thinks I just did recently.
K: What are you working on at the moment?
FC: I work on several different paintings at the same time. They all have the same awareness towards my own ideas about my work.
Cover image: Ford Crulls. Some Lovers, 2014. Courtesy of Mazlish Gallery
Written by Kooness
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