Rick Borg

Sentimental Elephant for Kathy on Found Wood//Folk Art

2018

Ford William is a self-taught folk/outsider artist, who began making art after coming to terms with chronic mental health issues that had plagued him all his life. The piece was made...

Ford William is a self-taught folk/outsider artist, who began making art after burning out as a transactional attorney. The piece was made for Ford's solo art show, FIGHT FLIGHT FAWN FREEZE, the concept of which stems from Ford's experience—having spent years living in the unconscious and unsustainable chaos of survival mode—and his journey of learning (and unlearning) to move towards a healthier, more stable, and integrated existence. After exiting survival mode and coming online again, Ford began making art to practice the skills needed to help prevent re-entering chronic stress-response states in the future. Specifically, he makes art to practice self-compassion, tame his inner critic, and move away from the shame-based avoidance and anxiety that were the root cause of many of his behavioral patterns. This piece, in particular, is all about how our sensory inputs (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches) all go through our lizard brain before we even are consciously aware of the resulting sensory experience, which is significant because the lizard brain is the arbiter...

Ford William is a self-taught folk/outsider artist, who began making art after coming to terms with chronic mental health issues that had plagued him all his life. The piece was made...

Gildasio Jardim is from a very beautiful and poor region of Brazil, the Jequitinhonha Valley. He began in the visual arts in a self-taught way. When h...

Gildasio Jardim is from a very beautiful and poor region of Brazil, the Jequitinhonha Valley. He began in the visual arts in a self-taught way. When h...

Gildasio Jardim is from a very beautiful and poor region of Brazil, the Jequitinhonha Valley. He began in the visual arts in a self-taught way. When h...