Alder Crocker

The Artist

Alder Crocker

Born and raised in New York City, Alder is fortunate to have been surrounded by creative expression his whole life. From family artists, collectors, poets and writers, to the world’s most diverse range of galleries and museums, everything he has seen and heard has imbued his outlook on life and informed his passions.

The first thing you notice about Alder is that he is a quadriplegic in an orange electric wheelchair, the result of a freak accident in May of 2018. When he is not speeding around the house or the neighborhood, the second thing you realize is that while his shoulders and arms have range of motion, he has no movement in his fingers. Together, these non-traditional abilities define his unique techniques and style.

Focusing primarily within the fields of abstract expressionism and non-representationalism, Alder has worked arduously to come up with the most efficient and effective methods to deliver on canvas. Utilizing latex and acrylic paints and the occasional ink, he uses a unique action painting technique he describes as “the quadrangle approach.” Because he must remain in his wheelchair, Alder paints on a canvas laying flat on a table, and rotates the canvas continuously until completed. Essentially, he is therefore painting from “all four corners and sides”, and inherently is painting four paintings within one painting itself. The hidden bonus: many of his paintings can be viewed and hung from any of the four sides.

Alder’s singular goal is to create work that makes people want to look again every time they pass by, while also enabling them to continuously find new “snowflakes”. His focus, as a result, is painting layers upon layers using many different paint brushes and wooden drip sticks, and featuring vibrant, raw and unexpected color combinations. Viewers eyes are then meant to never repeatedly focus on one part of a painting but to see what they want, and create their own personalized vignettes whenever they see his work.

Still realizing his voice, Alder enjoys paying homage to some of the greats – from Pollock, Kandinsky and Kline to de Kooning, Johns, Herring and Reinhardt – and you will see hints and shades as you review his portfolio. Additionally, he is influenced by the art and alphabets of ancient cultures, including the Sumerians, Egyptians, Phoenicians and Mesoamericans.

Prior to his accident and painting career, Alder was an award-winning marketer for creative and strategic campaigns, and also acted, wrote and did radio and video voice-overs. He is married with three adult children, and currently lives in Fairfield, CT.

Alder is very grateful to the Rene Soto Gallery for featuring his art and abstract perspectives on life.

The Art