Today we’d like to introduce you to Gordon Douglas Ball.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gordon Douglas. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Trying to explain where I am is just as hard as trying to explain who I am. I’ve been lucky enough to grow and learn from art. I’ve lived in two different countries. I come from an artistic family.
I was born in Montreal, Quebec. I was there for a long time, then lived outside of Toronto, then went back to Montreal. Then I ended up in New York City and have been back and forth between Los Angeles and Brooklyn over the last couple of years. Where’s home? I have no idea. I think I’d say Montreal is home, but where do I live? Today I’m in Los Angeles.
Originally I moved down to New York and had plans to work for Reuter’s, but randomly while strolling around midtown, I popped into the MoMA and saw a De Kooning painting. It made me put the camera down and pick up a paintbrush.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. I’ve struggled with mental illness most of my life and not until recently, it caused my relationship to fall apart. You always feel like you have this rock beside you, not matter what you go through. Moving around was always really hard for me, and starting fresh was almost impossible.
I’m a total head case, and a painter on top of that, now I can see that was definitely a recipe for disaster.
I’ve tried to keep my head down and focused on work. Even when I’m not working, I try and stay connected to it somehow, listening and observing my environment.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
It took a while to find a direction or even an explanation of what I do. So here I go: I kinda fall between Impressionism and expressionism. And I also grab a lot of influence from pop culture, especially music.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Take it seriously but don’t let it take over your life. There’s absolutely nothing in the world I’d rather want to do.
But even explaining success is hard, you sold a shitty painting vs no one bought the good painting.
Also, be cool to people.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9175831829
- Email: Gordondouglasball@gmail.com
- Instagram: @gordondouglasball
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