Artist Ya La’ford in front of one of her works.
Rufford’s
Abstract artist Ya La’ford is popular.
Her commissions – which include sculptures, installations and gallery shows – mean she’s fully booked for the next four years.
Rufford, who lives in the art community of St. Petersburg, Florida, rattled off the names of current and former clients, including Nike, McLaren racing team, basketball team Orlando Magic and ski brand Rossignol in a phone interview with CNBC. She has also worked for companies such as the NFL, creating commemorative gifts for team owners during the 2021 Super Bowl.
“I create these site-specific installations of bold geometric paintings that explore themes of transformation, transcendence and interconnectedness,” she told CNBC by phone.
“I’m fascinated by how geometric patterns can create the illusion of depth and movement,” she says. Rufford works in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, installation and video.
She’s also a celebrity favorite, taking on commissions from household names, but confidentiality agreements prevent her from speaking publicly about many of them.Rufford’s photo with Janet Jackson is one of Photos on her Instagram Account titled “Birthday Love”.
“American Roots” (2021), installation at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, created by Ya La’ford.
John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art | John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art A. Radford
“Water has its own level,” she added.
One person she could talk about her work with was the writer and activist Maya Angelou, who died in 2014. “While I was in Houston, she commissioned me to create a work that was an entanglement of words, poetry…and the power of love and light,” Rufford said.
“The most important lesson I learned from Maya is that anyone you meet should feel better about themselves and their goals. People rarely remember what you said, but they always remember what you taught them. “Come on,” Rufford told CNBC via email, reviewing a quote from the author.
Artist Ya La’ford created “Unloaded” (2017) at the Orlando Museum of Art.
Orlando Museum of Art | A. Rufford
Using geometry is a “universal language,” she said, adding that she is “redefining ancient civilizations, connecting to this space we inhabit now, and really thinking about what our future holds.” Traveling has inspired Rufford In terms of influence, she mentioned the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, the temples of Egypt, and the people of Palenque, Colombia, who officially got rid of slavery in 1713, as monuments and cultures that interest her.
“I think these pieces have a rich power, or healing powers like stones or talismans,” Rufford said of her work, adding that many clients meditate next to her art in their homes.
“We can manipulate our space, our perspective, our perspectives, our thoughts of human interaction, and create immersive experiences that we can all share together, and I think that’s the magic of markmaking,” she added .
A computer-generated sculptural image commemorating the “Courageous 12”, a group of black police officers who sued the city of St. Petersburg for discrimination in 1965, designed by artist Ya La’ford.
Rufford’s
Among her public art projects is a sculpture commemorating the Brave Twelve, a group of black police officers who Suing the City of St. Petersburg, USA Won the right to be a police officer in 1965 due to discrimination in the same way as white police officers.
The concrete, stainless steel and bronze sculpture will feature Rufford’s geometric lines and will be built on the site of the former police headquarters. “This sculpture will pay tribute to the bravery and tenacity of those pioneering police officers,” she said. The work is expected to go on display early next year.
In addition to creating public art and working for businesses, Rufford has held artist residencies in Ogden, Utah, and Jacksonville, Florida, and has exhibited at the Tampa Museum of Art and the Asian Contemporary Art Show. Her work is also part of the permanent collection of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Rufford’s talent became apparent early: As a child, she drew on the walls of her home in the Bronx, New York. “My mother was a second grade teacher, and her walls became my canvas from a very young age. She asked me to create these epic installations. At the time, I thought I was just building one for my second graders. Safe space to feel welcome, not realizing I was… laying the foundation[for a career],” she said.
Mark Rothko’s 1958 painting “Maroon Black” (right) is now in the Tate Modern collection in London. The piece was defaced in 2012 and restored in 2014, and Ya La’ford said it was one of her favorite pieces of art.
Rob Stothard | Getty Images
Art is in her blood. Rufford’s grandfather was John Dunkley, who is considered one of Jamaica’s most important artists. Dunkley died in 1947, and in 2019 the American Folk Art Museum exhibited 45 of his works, called “Enlightenment“The New York Times reports. Museum description Dunkley’s work It is described on its website as “a landscape defined by its unique dark tones and psychologically suggestive underpinnings”.
“Growing up, each piece left behind hidden puzzles for me that I now see can only be solved and understood through the paint I use to create my world,” Rufford said. writes Dunkley of his work at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami. website.
Rufford said he was “in dialogue with” abstract expressionist artists such as Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly and James Turrell. One of her favorite Rothkos, “Black on Maroon” (1959), made her cry, she said, “because I think art can capture this moment, the way it reverberates in the space of time.”
Rufford said no matter who she worked for, she was committed to exploring the human condition. “Then we find calmness to excitement… positivity and negativity: how do they live together?” she said.
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