michael ward

I have been painting in acrylics and gouache for over 20 years. Nearly all my paintings are based on photographs I have taken, primarily of Southern California scenes, over the years. Though it was never my intention to depict nostalgiac scenes, many of the images I have painted have disappeared or been radically altered in the ever-changing landscape that is Southern California. Thus nostalgia is thrust upon the works. But the distinctive light remains, which is what I attempt to capture in my painting. That, and the built environment that we humans inhabit, where nature manifests itself only in clipped shrubs, weed-like palms, thirsty lawns and the omnipresent cerulean sky.

As a painter, I am self-taught. In my day job, I work as an Art Director and Graphic Designer.