Hugh Ford grew up
in Ballarat, Victoria, and moved to Melbourne in 1996 to complete a
Bachelor of Graphic Deign at RMIT. Hugh spent the next eight years in
Melbourne designing, drawing, painting and stencilling, as well as
creating his own tee-shirt label, forever APE and exhibiting paintings
in several group shows in Collingwood and Fitzroy. In 2004 he moved to
Sydney to continue his work in design and illustration in styles
ranging from pen and ink, vector, paint, pencil and collage.
Hugh’s illustration work has been featured in
various publications, ranging from business and music magazines to
interior design annuals and Lonely Planet phrase books. He’s worked for
many different magazines and in 2005 his illustrations featured in a
magazine that won a commendation for best annual one-off publication at
the New York Folio Awards.
In early 2007 Hugh held his first solo exhibition,
Magic Cowboy, at blank_space gallery in Surry Hills, Sydney. Hugh was
also selected for Art Melbourne 07 to be featured in their Off the Wall
emerging artists showcase.
Ford's paintings are created using acrylic paint on
canvas. The subjects are varied but typically explore fun, whimsical
themes, from carnival characters to magicians, arcade machines and team
mascots. Hugh’s bold line work is an extension of his sketching and
illustrating, and usually the focal point of his paintings. Depth is
created using layers of texture and a simple colour palette. The
absence of certain detail, leave the viewer to place their own
narrative on the work. Hugh’s work is best described as innocent and
impulsive, often created from beautiful mistakes.
