Inspired by the grace and symmetry of classical realism,
my works explores an irresistible alchemy of sensuality and sentiment,
a form of beauty that is sometimes distorted by our demons,
and other times enchanted by all that’s pure within our souls.
The three bodies of work that have evolved from this figurative heritage
are what I believe to be timeless commentaries on our human condition.
BIOGRAPHY
Blake William Ward
Born in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada on June 3, 1956 and raised in Edmonton.
1979 - Receives an Honours Degree in Fine Art from the University of Alberta.
1985 – Moves to Paris to study figurative sculpture under Cyril Heck.
1991 - Relocates to Monaco and opens his Monte-Carlo studio.
1986 – 1998 - Known for his traditional figurative, academic style; Ward’s sculpture explores the notions of idealized beauty.
1998 – 2011 - In the Fragments Collection the artist deliberately “de-sculpts” the figure, alluding to the destructive nature of our civilization.
This “activist art”, inspired by survivors of military conflict, continues to contribute funds to the education and the clearing of minefields in Vietnam, Kosovo, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Angola through the sale of the Fragments. This is done in association with No More Landmines, Adopt-A-Minefield of the United Nations, and The Landmine Relief Fund in the United States.
2005 - The Re-Think Collection is dedicated to the promotion of human rights.
2011 - The Spirits Collection - Embracing negative space, this collection crosses over into the abstract and ethereal realms, offering partial figures with exposed interior landscapes.
2016 -The Andromeda Collection broadens the Spirit Collection through the use of 3D printing.
Holding to his appreciation of the human figure, Ward remains true to the representational quality and realistic proportions of traditional sculpture while simultaneously considering new ways to comment on the human condition.
Exhibitions of Ward’s work have travelled to three continents; North America: the United States and Canada; Europe: France, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany and England; and Asia: Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India.