Born in 1954 in Atlanta, Flick Ford was raised in Westchester County, New York. He fell in love with fishing at age five. His father, an accomplished fly-fisherman and talented commercial artist/copywriter, instilled in him a deep respect for nature and nurtured his early creativity. Through-out the 1960s and 1970s Flick fished the Adirondacks, New England, Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, and the woodland lakes of Quebec, while pursuing two other passions: music (as lead singer in a garage rock band) and art. He took formal watercolor classes in the 1960s; figure drawing and graphic design classes at SUNY Purchase and then studied art and film at Evergreen State College in Washington between 1973 and 1976. Flick moved to New York City in 1978 and dove into the audio/visual scene of indie film, video, underground publishing, cartooning, illustration, and he reconnected with music. He performed in the East Village with several bands. He left New York in 1993, heading for the Hudson Highlands where he quickly became obsessed with fishing the New York City watershed. The effects of over twenty years of pollution, over-development and acid rain became painfully apparent as he branched out to many of the Adirondack and Vermont brook trout places where he had previously fished. Today, Ford makes his home in Rensselaer County, New York. He fishes as much as possible and ties his own flies.
About the Art
The tradition of taxonomic plate style painting is invaluable for cataloging the natural world. As an art form it is becoming increasingly rare. My work updates the genre. I work in the medium of watercolor in a meticulous process I developed over a 10-year period.