FORD, Walton (American, b. 1960).
Heron Study for Vespers, 2022.
Watercolor, pen and ink on paper signed ‘W.F’ l.r.
9" x 12" sheet, 17" x 20 1/2" framed.

To call Walton Ford’s work cinematic is a vast understatement. Ford’s captivating compositions are a mode of storytelling that is unapologetically authentic in their bold and brash approach to subjects others blatantly evade in favor of more easily palatable topics. Never shying away from “touchy” issues, the artist faces them head-on through the lens of natural history. Why? Natural history painting is often viewed as relatively innocuous – relegated to the intersection of art and science. As Ford attests in both his art and commentary, expeditions in the guise of science and colonialism are intimately tied to flora and fauna.

We are pleased to offer two preparatory drawings of an auk and heron for Walton Ford’s monumental works Stac an Armin and Vespers.

Ford’s work can be found in a number of distinguished private and public collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.