About The Artist

Ward’s material of choice is carbon steel, which he coaxes into art by cutting, welding, and bending. Some pieces include copper or brass. He will often using a grinding wheel or brushes to abrade a surface, and finishes most pieces with a glossy patina. He mixes his own paints from dry pigments, polyurethane, lacquer, and wax.

“Every piece I start, I’m taking a chance,” he said. “I’m not comfortable going back to the well for the same piece of art.” Accustomed to figuring things out for himself, Ward is comfortable constantly trying new things. “If I had some formal training, I’d be horrified with what I do and not do it any more,” he surmised. “I would feel my work is wrong.”

Ward looks to the detritus and chaos of industry both for the actual building blocks for his art and for aesthetic stimulation. One recent piece builds on a spattered and eroded piece of concrete that he had used as a work surface, which has taken on the timeless beauty of an archaeological ruin.