If you’re a social media aficionado, perhaps you’re already familiar with the name, Arron Crascall. With millions of followers, and the likes of Seth Rogan, Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black all tuning in to his hilarious videos, Crascall is one of the biggest names in internet comedy right now.
When he’s not creating ridiculous videos that make the whole world laugh, Crascall is working away, creating abstract artworks, inspired by pop culture icons – and we’re delighted to announce that his work is available now at Enter Gallery.
In today’s blog, we’re diving into Crascall’s artistic background, and revealing details of his upcoming solo show at Enter Gallery, which is happening on Friday 15th July. RSVP here.
Artistic Beginnings
Arron’s first foray into the art world was back at South Kent College in Dover, where he studied art for two years. He reveals:
“As part of that course, we got to go for two or three weeks at a time to cities like Amsterdam, Paris, London, St Petersburg and so on, to soak up the artistic scene and to learn from the artists in those places. It was a fantastic opportunity to study other artists and to develop my own style – which from the very beginning, has always been very abstract.”
Arron’s artistic studies came to a premature end in 2000 when he dropped out of college to get a job. What came next was a 17-year hiatus from the industry, in which time he turned to the internet to make a name for himself.
Laugh and the world laughs with you
It was while working as a bookie, that Crascall first started out making Vine and Snapchat videos and sharing them. He amassed followers fast, but it wasn’t until he started including public reactions in his videos that his clips started going viral.
Now, Arron has over 9 million followers on Facebook, 4.4 million on Instagram, and his videos on YouTube have been watched many millions of times.
Creative release
In 2017, Crascall was compelled to pick up the paintbrush again as an outlet from the fast-paced strains of life on the internet. He tells us:
“What I do can be quite stressful, so in 2017 I started buying canvases and making little bits whenever I had the time. It’s really taken off, people want to buy them and look at them.”
“It kind of tames the beast. I’ve done paintings where I’ve been crying, paintings where I’ve been out of breath, paintings where I’ve been up until 4 in the morning not realising the time because I’m so wrapped up in it. It comes in big waves and its pretty crazy really.”
Abstract chaos
Arron’s abstract pieces combine pop culture icons alongside scrawled text and swathes of colour.
“Some pieces take me as long as four months to complete. Take Chaos, for example, there’s four other paintings underneath that piece.”
Each artwork begins life with colours in mind, gradually building up layer after layer, starting with an acrylic base, followed by spray paint, then oil paint, then back to spray paint for the final flourishes.
Asked to describe his art, Crascall responds:
“It’s chaos. I don’t paint often, but when I do, a lot comes out of me.”
Join us at Arron’s Solo Show on Friday 15th July. Spaces are limited, so RSVP to avoid missing out.
