These whales are inspired by an experience I had as a reader. I read the first two hundred pages of Moby Dick, set the book down, and I remember feeling thirsty. I walked into my art studio and began to make a sculpture of a whale; not a realistic whale, but a whale that captured the visceral feeling that lifted off the page.

The whales arrived in my studio for several years, and I just kept making them. I stopped after I had an exhibition, but they continued to come to me in my dreams. I had believed I was done with whales, but then the pandemic hit and the universe tilted in the direction of making whales once again.

I call this group of sculpture Loomings, because the work is about those abstract visions on the horizon, views that you can’t really make out and understand. The titles of the work come from the chapter headings in Moby Dick and some of the wonderful phrases inside the novel. It is really important to me to think about the inside of the whale; even with the sculpted whales, I’m trying to evoke the mystery. Whales are warriors and poets swimming through fires of grief.

I try not to be too literal in my work, but the exciting part is that the impetus came from literature and reading. I believe art is like a relay race at times, each work handing off the baton to the next work, keeping the mystery alive and moving it forward through the generations.

- Vince Montague


All of the artwork in this email exhibition is available for purchase and is also viewable in the gallery as part of our ongoing salon, Brick and Mortar.

For inquiries, please call 310-913-0749 or email at info@craigkrullgallery.com.