Walton Ford

Audubon’s father was a ship’s captain and used to bring exotic animals home to France. Audubon himself was born out of wedlock: the captain had a mistress in Haiti, and after Audubon was born, the captain brought the young boy home to his wife in France who raised him. One day, his mother’s monkey came and strangled his favorite parrot. I thought, how Freudian! I made it hypersexualized. The incident actually traumatized him and led to him painting birds.
- Walton Ford

It’s not about man being destructive to nature, but about exploring the relationship, which often is violent. The pet monkey is chained… they are supposed to be surrogate humans, like court jesters. I studied this 19th-century book of gun traps, snares and the tricks of trapping. They are fables on the costs of pleasure and instant gratification.
- Walton Ford

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