Brandon Kralik
Biography
Having lived by the sea for the most part of the last 30 years Brandon Kralik has studied the effects of the sea and recorded his impressions in sketchbooks and on the canvas.
Kraliks fascination with the sea began at an early age when his grandfather in Colorado explained how the thundershowers and winter snowstorms were the result of water evaporating from the sea, blowing east over the desert meeting the cool air over the Rocky Mountains. It was through these early sessions which Kralik began to understand and appreciate the importance of the sea and interconnectedness it has on our lives.
Later in life it also made out a great source of inspiration for Kralik where his seascapes symbolize highs and lows, ebbs and tides as he brings out the contrasts between the dark stormy waters of the open ocean and the tranquil turquoise waters of paradise, bringing these remote and distant images to the viewer:
“My paintings are about weathering the storm, they echo the light that is lacking at this time of year, the trips to the coast that we long for. My paintings are meant to provide what is missing. Symbols of hope and continuation but also of resignation. Relaxation, like a calm tidal pool, a bath, a fresh start. They provide the eternal comfort of a sunset in full bloom. The sea is worthy of our intention and these paintings are beautiful reminders of both our connectedness and our responsibility.”
Whether Kralik paints directly from life or in one of his studios in either Stockholm, Maui or Colorado the sea is a constant companion and seeps into the motifs he creates from the vision he holds in his mind’s eye. Through building on his accumulated inspiration each painting takes on its own life through the manipulation of the materials, the artists’ experiences and artistic spirit.
Brandon Kralik was born in 1966 in Virginia, US, and spent most of his childhood in the mountains of Colorado.
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s he attended Art and Communications studies at WSC in Colorado and Hunter College in New York City. After his studies Kralik journeyed to seek new inspiration and to further his education within the arts, taking him around the US, Europe, Africa and India, inspiring him to explore a wide range of mediums such as printmaking, ceramics and animation. Painting being his preferred form of artistic expression, it is through this medium he depicts his still life, land- and seascapes as well as portraits and figurative motifs.
After his first exhibition in New York City in 1991, Kralik has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the US and Europe, and his work is collected internationally.
Kralik first came to Sweden in 2004, after a three year period as a studio assistant for Odd Nerdrum in Norway. The artist has over the last two decades divided his time between his studios, and homes, in Colorado, Maui and Sweden, the first ten years in Småland and later in Stockholm, where he currently lives and works.
Beside his artistry, Kralik has contributed to the art world as a writer for the US online magazine The Huffington Post, the Main Street Magazine in New York, as well as the US online arts and literary magazine Combustus.