About Me
Wayne Kral began his art career as a child when he got his hands on a crayon, pencil; anything to make a mark. His early drawings were of decapitated figures flying through walls, a pathway of eyes leading to a frog tied to a tree limb and other images of what he figured was just underneath a girls dress. As a teenager Kral discovered rock-n-roll, sex, drugs and surrealism. The lure of spontaneity continues to drive his work.
Kral grew up out there and felt like a city kid trapped in a farm boys body. Out of high school he escaped to San Francisco and met members of the American Surrealist group. He exhibited in several group shows and one day discovered he was no longer in San Francisco and in a surrealist group. At this point Kral was given a guitar and secretly began to write songs venting his frustration at being back out there.
Around the same time his painting began a transformation representing what he considered his major artistic influences: Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, Frida Kahlo and Buddy Holly. He exhibited his work frequently but encouraged by the lean attendance, lack of patrons and no media acknowledgement decided to move to New York City.
He immediately found, upon exhibiting in New York City, lean attendance, lack of patrons and no media acknowledgement. It was time for new tactics so Kral picked up his guitar and began writing songs to illustrate his life in Manhattan. His solo shows emptied many dive bars but led to the formation of a band called Mighty Man, primarily playing Krals original compositions.
During a tour of Manhattans lower east side Kral hired a charter subway car to get ahead of the itinerary to catch up on his laundry and at his arrival was told that all three members of his band were killed in a bizarre police crossfire where they had mistook wallets for guns.
Undaunted, Kral started a Buddy Holly cover band known as The Brevoort, named after the apartment building Buddy Holly lived in New York City at the time of his death. Hand picked by Kral the band reveled in playing the 22 year olds (at the time of his death) most obscure numbers and replacing the traditional bass player with a tuba player. Finally, it seemed Kral was on to something.
Bur here too, fate intervened; it turned out all three band members were pregnant and within three months the band was done.
Today Kral is back to painting, paying homage to his artistic heroes, writing new songs to take on a new musical journey (his friends remember his love of romantic musical theatre) and the beginnings of a mystery novel.
