Walton Ford

Walton Ford, an American painter, is renowned for his monumental depictions of wildlife in watercolor. His artworks possess a dual meaning, weaving together nature with historical contexts and offering sociopolitical commentary. 

Biography of Walton Ford

Born in 1960 in Larchmont, New York, Walton Ford developed a passion for art from an early age, often drawing alongside his elder brother Enfield. During his teenage years, he translated his fears onto paper, influenced by the 'underground cartoons' of the sixties and the works of Robert Crumb, particularly ZAP.

Ford's first encounters with nature and animals occurred during visits to the deep forests of Canada with his father. Drawing inspiration from archives, anthropology, and science, he unearthed anecdotes, texts, and prints to fuel his creativity, blending these with his imagination and personal flair.

Ford's approach of infusing a naturalist style into his paintings was sparked by the works of artists such as Dürer, Antoine-Louis Barye, Edward Lear, John James Audubon, and others from the Naturalist Illustration Movement like Karl Bodmer and George Catlin. This deliberate choice has positioned his wildlife pieces prominently within contemporary art. Initially aiming to become a filmmaker, Ford pursued Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, earning a BFA in 1982.

In 2010, the retrospective exhibition "Walton Ford: Bestiarium" made its journey from the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum Fur Gegenwart in Berlin to the Albertina in Vienna, culminating at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark in 2011. Ford's latest creations can be found within the pages of the "Pancha Tantra" book. Furthermore, his recent paintings adorn the walls of numerous galleries and museums worldwide.

Walton Ford's Art Style

Walton Ford's art eloquently conveys the unbreakable connection between humans and the animal kingdom. Described as allegorical, Ford's pieces initially reveal only their surface, yet deeper comprehension demands careful attention and commitment to uncovering the hidden messages that gradually reveal themselves over time. The results embody the speculative ideas born from the artist's imagination during the creative process.

Ford's style is recognized as provocative, drawing from a foundation in scientific literature. His prints, belonging to the realm of naturalist illustrations, frequently showcase extinct species. Exploring flora and fauna, Ford applies cultural critique and humor to colonialism and industrialism, employing symbols, clues, and jests. In his paintings, Ford merges the parallel with the real universe, the ordinary with the surreal, and the long-lost with the highly imperiled natural world.