Craig Ford’s Fine-Art Blog
A multi-disciplinary, pop-art post-modern artist
The Rabbit and The Witch
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Can you guess what high concept this painting is about? Since most of my paintings deal with Americana imagery, what’s more Americana then trick or treating. I know, its no longer just done in this country, but it has its origins here to keep the kids out of mischief. And what’s more toxic then the abundant candy corn that is everywhere this time of year, truly a Halloween stable as chocolate is to Valentine’s Day. Aside from that, no dark, seditious meanings to be found here. I welcome any suggestions to any further meaning you viewers may have. Just drop me a comment, thanks.
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Full Circle
Saturday, September 24, 2011
I started to look for a face of an older person, one with wrinkles that would make for an interesting subject matter. Once I located an elderly man’s face, I then wanted to do something that was an opposite. I located an old vintage photo of a female nude model that seems to make a nice contrast to the senior male figure in a suit and a tie. Then I felt that landscapes would make for differing images to the human forms. I went with an uncluttered beach scene next to the female image, since both subjects suggest life enabling. While I selected an old photo taken of a highly commercialized roadside with signs and power-lines cluttering the way. So the left side is about life giving and the right side is about life in decline. Yeah, I know, not real cheery but poignant.
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Anachronism
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I was trying to think of a term for loss of innocence. As in the current state of affairs of our world. Its neither good for marketing my work or creating art that deals with current issues, yet I end up coming up with what is on my mind. Seems most artists are sponges that soak up their times and it often appears in their music, stories, or paintings.
Seems that so many of the problems we face today, were kick started a good fifty years ago. And our nostalgia opines for those good old days of yore. But they weren’t as warm and fuzzy as this nostalgia suggests. A re-imagined past may be as sweet and fleeting as candy, but a dark undercurrent was always there.
So this painting, which plays on such nostalgic ideas stands out from the reality in which said ideas took place. And this out of place innocence is the theme basis for Anachronism. And this desire for old days, a distraction for the present day?
I’m not taking sides on any issue here. Just seeing events that have happened in my lifetime and opting to wondering “aloud” with oil on canvas. History indeed repeats.
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Proxy
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Here’s my latest painting, my first social commentary on our current world. All the influences in each of our lives can be boiled down to religion, media, government/finance and consumerism. For better or worse, these things have an impact on what we do today and what will happen to us tomorrow.
As far as the actual painting goes, I liked the contrast in color and texture of each of the images used in the composition. I think its an image that catches the eye and ultimately have the viewer ask questions. I don’t think this artwork or any other piece of art can actually change things, but if art can make enough people think and ask questions then progress can begin.
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Yellow Morning
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Its some time since I last updated this blog, guess I’ve been busy painting and other things creative. But above is my most recent painting (as of this date) continuing my segments series. Objects up close and images with space. I liked the semi-abstractness of the floral shapes, the shadow shapes in the water ripples and those stretched across the sidewalk onto the street, and the contrast of man-made objects against those of nature. Each image tends to challenge the viewer to if it’s in front of or behind the images next to it. On to the next one…
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Resources Initiative
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Over the last decade or so, I’ve purchased several royalty-free stock photography images. And all the photos I’ve taken over the years (not to mention the ease of using a digital camera to capture practically everything around me) have been piled up waiting for me to put them to some sort of creative use. Having an interest in the late Robert Rauschenberg’s assemblages, but keeping mine all made up from flat 2-D images, I started to put together various photos with textures and colors to make all new images. 
A1A Azure
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
Here’s my second in what I think I’m going to call my “Segments” series. It certainly seems that today everyone is bombarded with information from all sides. Multiple images that have a common thread but appear to be unrelated. The above 36 x 36 inch painting is a snippet of an afternoon’s experience. I’ve attempted to maintain a realistic light and space of the various pictures but my approach is more of a “faux-realism,” to suggest objects painted representationally but not quite truly realistic. Not sure where I’m going with this but perhaps it says more about our time then the vintage images I was painting before.
Cat’s Eye
Saturday, January 8, 2011
36″x 36″ oil on canvas
A new style? Trying something a bit different then what I’ve done for the past year or so. Combining different images, do they relate some how, some way? I suppose that they do but its up to the viewer to figure it out. I’m sure I’ll be asked who is that; where is that; is that a stray; did you have art history in that room? There is a method to the madness, not just cheap clichés. Although commenting on clichés is a possibility. Anyway, I’ve got several ideas that I hope to pursue this year. Maybe things will progress…
house painting, part 2
Saturday, November 27, 2010
So here’s the 12” x 12” painted canvas, the Bigley House. I don’t do buildings typically, unless its used in part of the background of the overall composition. The photo I worked from was a good source image to start with, its my technical ability at rendering multiple parallel lines consistently comes into question. It was never my desire to do an architectural rendering, one with absolute technical accuracy. And while the painting looks like the building in question, my somewhat impressionistic, painterly style doesn’t seem to suit the subject matter in my opinion anyway. Hopefully the patrons will like it. I’m on to the next project.
house painting, part 1
Monday, November 22, 2010
While I enjoy seeing architecture used in artwork, either as part of a landscape or as the featured object itself, I don’t really enjoy having to drawn or paint it myself. While I can draw pretty much anything, to this day I have a hard time drawing a straight line free-handed. And when you draw or paint a building, you need to have lines that are somewhat straight and consistently parallel to one another. Otherwise these crooked, odd angled lines stand out like sore thumbs. 
When I reluctantly agreed to paint a neighbor’s house (as a portrait of, not painting the trim), I took a look at the railing and window frames that abound the front of their home. I knew that I was taking on some subject matter that I’m obviously uneasy with.
As with any “commission” I take on, I always offer a sketch to show the patron what I’m going to do and as a reference to myself of what I’m about to produce. So after coming up with a sketch, I re-drew or traced my initial sketch on drafting vellum so I could use a drafting triangle and ruler straight edge to capture the major outside edges.
So now I’m starting an oil painting portrait of the approved composition, seen above. We’ll see how much of it I will be able to keep the subject matter on the straight and narrow.
Craig Ford’s Fine-Art Blog 