5 Things you Didn't know About David Kracov

As a renowned artist and sculptor, David Kracov is known for his incredible ability to merge fine art and pop culture into visually stunning pieces. Despite his success and popularity, there are still many things that most people don't know about this talented artist. Here are five things you didn't know about David Kracov.

1. David worked in animation for years for companies like Disney and many others.

Before sculpting, David had a prosperous career in animation, working for companies like Disney, Don Bluth animation, Rich animation, and several other studios. He began with the Ralph Bakshi-directed and Brad Pitt-starring feature, 'Cool World,' and then continued to work on such features as the Lion King, Aladdin, Troll in Central Park, the Pebble and the Penguin, Thumbelina, and the Swan Princess. During this time, David also worked for several special effects studios, creating visual effects for many feature films. David has a passion for animation and describes it as something that adults who never grew up get the privilege of doing. In his own words, he says, "as an animator, it was an amazing experience to watch my pencil drawings transform into moving characters, but once the color was added, everything came to life. Even the subtlest of emotions, such as the tingling feeling of seeing something that just the day before was pencil lines on paper, transformed into a character with life."

2. David was asked to create a sculpture for many Hollywood legends; his favorite was the experience with Kirk Douglas.

David describes one of the most incredible experiences he ever had when he was asked to create a sculpture to honor one of Hollywood's most significant living legends, Kirk Douglas. The statue was presented to Mr. Douglas by his son, Michael Douglas. David explains, "I sat in front of the stage, watching two of Hollywood's biggest icons, and seeing Kirk's expression when he saw the sculpture for the first time made me cry." A few weeks later, David received a letter from Mr. Douglas thanking him for the sculpture and asking him to hand-deliver it to his home. When he delivered the sculpture to the Douglas home, David sat with Kirk and his wife, Anne, and listened to stories about Hollywood from the silver age of cinema, as well as stories of a man who worked with icons Stanley Kubrik and Burt Lancaster. Regarding the experience, David says, "it was then I realized how much life my art has brought to me."

3. Since childhood, Kracov has loved poetry and uses his favorite poems in his art.

Kracov has loved to read poetry from an early age. Among his favorite poets were Cummings, Frost, Plath, and Angelou. He describes reading poetry as a vision forming in his mind from the words, and he begins to have a visual experience. In his 'Book of Love' sculptures, he fills the pages with his favorite poems- the ones he describes as being able to turn words into worlds. Every 'Book of Love' sculpture is filled with poems and some of Davod's thoughts. David says, "I never know what will fill the pages until I sit down and begin writing. Only then do my thoughts begin to flow, and the pages transform into the sculpture."

4. David commissioned a sculpture for Coca-Cola to be displayed in their museum.

David described being contacted by Coca-Cola as one of his life's most exciting and creative experiences. He was asked to create a sculpture based on the slogan "Open Happiness" in honor of the company's 125th-anniversary exhibition and told that it would be displayed in the Coca-Cola museum afterward. David created a sculpture inspired by a newly opened bottle after shaking it and having it burst with more butterflies fluttering out of it than can be contained. The sculpture called "Open Happiness" is made up of almost 1,000 individually hand-painted butterflies. 

5. Despite all of his happy, bright, and beautiful artworks, David explains that these are often the opposite feelings he has within himself when he creates his art.

David says, "my sculptures explode with vibrant colors and hues and eschew a feeling of happiness. But this is sometimes the opposite of what I feel when I create and paint my sculptures. When I created my holocaust tribute, "Contemplation," my mind drifted into a dark, horrific place." His sculptures are often tributes to lost lives, such as those from Auschwitz and Chornobyl. David says that just like there cannot be joy without pain, he tries to find those tiny bits of beauty even within the darkness. David's metal wall sculpture called 'Reflections' was made as a tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. As someone who spent much of their childhood in New York City, David decided to put his grief about this tragedy towards creating something that would allow people to remember all of the victims deeply.

The talented artist and sculptor David Kracov are not only incredibly gifted at producing magical and mind-blowing sculptures, but his works go much deeper than the eye can see. David is a man who has led an extraordinarily interesting life and used his hardships as fuel to create more beauty and art in this world. His sculptures range from being beautiful, quirky, and fun. To check out more inspiring artworks by David and other talented artists, visit the Eden Gallery website or a local gallery near you.