TIMELINE
BIO/STATEMENT
Ward George is a contemporary representational artist interested primarily in the female nude.
Having made off with his mother’s paintbox at the age of nine, Mr. George is largely auto-didactic (self-taught). He has, however, received guidance and encouragement from time to time from several accomplished painters and photographers, to whom he is eternally grateful and proud to call his friends.
Although deeply influenced by modern art and its philosophies, he soon embarked on a deeper study of the whole of Western Art. As a result, he has built a foundation drawing from the depth of western tradition as well as more contemporary sources. Ward has chosen the nude as an expressive vehicle for three reasons:
Ward began as a traditional media artist. Oils on canvas, watercolors, works on paper, etc. This all began to change in the late 1990s. On a trip to a local Seattle camera store with his friend, the now-deceased Bill Cummings of Northwest School renown, he encountered the first museum-quality digital imaging printer. He immediately saw the potential. Ten years of experience with computer-based commercial media and a pioneering spirit made it inevitable that he couldn’t resist exploiting this potential. Inevitably, art follows technology. Since that moment Ward has been developing proprietary digital painting processes that are the bulk of the work he has exhibited since 2001.
Believing that an artist must bring intellect, emotion, and technique to his work, he has taken what he considers of greatest aesthetic value from artists as varied as the Zen masters, Turner, Rembrandt and Picasso, de Kooning and Ingres, Rodin and Welliver, Matisse, Wyeth, Rubens, and Pearlstein. Further, his work has been influenced by the writings of Camille Paglia, Michel Foucault, Walt Whitman, and others.
Mr. George’s award-winning work has been exhibited, published, and hangs in private collections throughout the world.
EXHIBITIONS
2021
Triton Museum of Art
Santa Clara, California
2021
Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825
Los Angeles, California
2015
Darkroom Gallery
Burlington, Vermont
2013
Invitation to Florence Biennale
Florence, Italy
2011
Invitation to Florence Biennale
Florence, Italy
2009
Invitation to Florence Biennale
Florence, Italy
2007
Invitation to Florence Biennale
Florence, Italy
2002
Kern Street Gallery
Fresno, California
2001
GlobalVision
Matisse Galleries, Rome, Italy
2001
“The Rising Sun and the Big Apple” (Guest Artist)
Abusuan Galleries and Vallisa Galleries, Bari, Italy
2001
ArtExpo 2001
Pascali Museum, Bari, Italy
1994
The Priva B. Gross International Juried Exhibition
New York City, NY
1992
Sierra Gallery, Three-man show
Lake Tahoe, California
PUBLICATIONS
2022
Creative Quarterly
Spring 2022 Print Edition and Online
Vol. 66
2012
Remembrances
Self-Published Book
2003
GQ Magazine Germany
Online edition.
2002
STERN Magazine
7/26/02 online edition; front page and Lifestyles section.
http://www.stern.de
2002
STERN Magazine
6/20/02 online edition; front page and Lifestyles section.
http://www.stern.de
AWARDS
2022
Winner – Fine Art
Creative Quarterly 66
2022
Shortlist
London International Creative Competition
2022
Nominee
15th International Color Awards
2021
Nominee
14th International Color Awards
2021
Official Selection
London International Creative Competition
2018
Honorable Mention
London International Creative Competition
2001
Silvestri International Artist Award 2001
1993
Bronze Award for Traditional Works on Paper
Art of California Magazine Discovery Awards
1992
Silver Award for Works on Paper
Art of California Magazine Discovery Awards