Harold Fox spent decades in Los Angeles. He could have painted the famous faces, the traffic lights, the deserts to the west. Instead, his fascination with the past inspired him to paint with a more historical edge. He opened up about his start, his appreciation for Teutonic Mythology, and where fans can see his art now.
Kendra: Inspiration comes in many different forms. What was it for you? What made you realize a life enthralled in art was a necessity?
Harold Fox: I have from early childhood loved to draw and dabble in paint. Society is made up of characters, some eccentric, some strange, and many bordering on madness. I have known all of the above. Having lived in the Los Angeles area from the age of five until very recently, I’ve been to many odd places. I spent several years in college and a couple of years as a soldier and find simple observation provides sufficient material and inspiration.
Kendra: Was art the first creative outlet you had or did you dabble in writing, music, dance even?
Harold Fox: Art was my first and constant interest. I also had an interest in filmmaking, student film, underground films whatever term one uses.
Kendra: Do you find that those who love classic video games or watch Game of Thrones today are the kind of people who gravitate towards those particular pieces?
Harold Fox: The medieval pieces were inspired by my interest in history and Teutonic Mythology. I did these for myself because that is what interested me at the time. There hasn’t been any interest from gamers in these pieces. Some time ago there was some interest from people that were into the Renaissance Fair.
Kendra: Your other pieces have this surrealism essence to them. We see day to day scenes with a monkey here a demon there. When you do a piece like Molach, do you revolve it around the character that’s out of the norm, or do they come later?
Harold Fox: I try to create an ambiance of feeling like deja vu in some pictures, something familiar to most all and add something not familiar to many or most. I don’t revolve around the demonic, but think it is always present often not immediately identifiable.
Kendra: You had a series up at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in 2018. Do you have any new pieces coming in 2019 we can be on the lookout for?
Harold Fox: I spend most of my time painting and making my own frames, so yes there are always new ones. They usually appear first on my Facebook page and then move to my website. I am not planning any more shows in the Los Angeles area, but currently, have some pieces at the Brian Scott Gallery in Oregon.