Enough of a good thing!

You can never have enough Scott Ward Art!


This photo is not of a gallery or a boutique. It's not even my studio. This is the bedroom in the home of a client and friend.
For the past several years, Craig Martin has been collecting my art. At this point, I believe he has sixteen pieces. Some are original oil paintings and others are prints on canvas. He has been very supportive and encouraging as you can see.
I have several clients owning collections of my art. In most cases (of what I know), they hang throughout the house - in different rooms, on different walls. I had to capture a photo of Craig's wall because it cracked me up. "It makes me so happy to wake up to this" Craig told me. This in return makes me very happy. "I also love falling asleep to it" he expressed.
Now, I'm not necessarily promoting that everyone collect my artwork (though that's not such a terrible idea). What I do want to promote is the practice of surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. Having an entire wall or roomful of happy-inducing pieces can make you, well, happy.

What is it that brings joy to you? What inspires you to be good, happy, uplifted? Are you surrounded with enough of it?

If you need any suggestions, I can help you out with it!

Be good,
Scott

Home, family, fun and pigs

This is my latest commissioned painting. It was purchased as a birthday gift for a wife from her husband.

It was a fun and easy process. After learning that family, home, fun and pigs made the wife happy, I came up with a couple of ideas.

This is the one she chose.

Their three kids are in characteristic costumes. They are subtly placed and all center around home. Two little pigs sit in the shade of the tree in the back.

I liked the idea of a living post for the birdhouse to represent the idea of growth and change and life.

And, it is no surprise, there are words hidden in there somewhere!

Be good,
Scott

Easter Lilies

The white lily has been a symbol for Easter since the Middle Ages.
I would imagine it is a rare Christian church that does not decorate with
Easter lilies on Easter Sunday.

In the past, we have had lilies near and on our altar table.
This year I wanted to use the Easter lily as a more integral part of the congregations experience. Initially, I thought about hanging potted lilies along the sanctuary arches over the congregation. However this brought its own set of problems -
how to hang them, maintain them, and give them attractive pots
(the metallic-sheet covered plastic pots are not so pretty).
I also felt that they weren't going to have the effect I was hoping for, close but not quite.

I wanted more drama.

Then it hit me. I wanted each flower to be big, really big. I set about designing 3-foot high Easter Lilies. Working with paper I cut and glued, painted and stapled, folded and sewed, tore and taped. After a few prototypes I ended up with something resembling a kirigami design.
(origami with cutting)

Each lily is one piece of paper cut and folded, then secured with hidden tape and staples. Though labor intensive for my team of 4 the result was fresh and new and Easter-y.

The best comment I heard was "I am convinced that I could actually smell them."

Happy Easter!
Be good,
Scott

Sandwich, Schmandwich

I had a sandwich board sitting outside my house near the sidewalk. We live on a well traveled path, a route for walkers, runners, cyclists, and strollers. Having a sandwich board with a box for postcards was a great way to get my art known in the area. In fact, I have had the chance to create commissioned pieces, sell prints and originals to many of my neighbors. It has not only been a good source of business, but has also helped create relationships in the neighborhood.

A couple of months ago as I returned from my run, I saw that my sandwich board was gone. Gone! At first I was shocked. Really? Who would take my sandwich board? Why would they take it? It was beyond understanding.

(Now, if I am going to be completely honest I have to say that I was a little flattered that someone would actually go to the effort of taking it and wanting it. This, however, does not justify the wrongness of it all.)

I had been thinking of creating a new board. This incident just pushed the idea to the forefront. I now have a new sandwich board - all shiny and bright. I have tried to secure it by locking it to a sunken post.

If you do know where my old one is, I would love to have her back. It's not okay to take someone elses stuff.

Be good,

Scott

It's Monster Time

Somewhere in my mind I have this idea that I will create something every day. This is to be on top of my normal painting schedule and other life responsibilities. I have a hard time thinking that I can't do it all. So far, I don't think I am winning.

We have a picture window in our living room that was just begging to be something. A big scary something. A big scary Halloweeny something.

I used cardboard, acrylic paint and glue to make the window monster. The eyes are tissue paper stretched over cut out circles with lights behind them so they glow in the dark.

Ooooo scary.

Be good,
Scott

The Autumn Leaves

This past weekend we celebrated Homecoming Sunday at my church, the Magnolia UCC. It was a chance for anyone who has ever had any connection to the church to come together and connect, and in some cases reconnect.

I wanted to create something celebratory in the sanctuary. I knew that the service would be focused on the 'great cloud of witness' from the reading in Hebrews. But, I also wanted to highlight community and autumn. Recently, a tree that had shaded the stained-glass windows in the front of the church had been removed.
This meant that they would have a stronger impact then they had been having in the space. I wanted to respect that, too.

I was inspired by a banner that read "I am the vine, you are the branches".

I used 8" ribbon segments and tied them around a couple of pear tree branches to represent the leaves - and the members of the community.

The colors were dictated by the stained glass windows. I graduated the color of the ribbons, starting with red at the tips of the branches moving to orange, yellow, chartreuse and ending with green at the base. This echoes the changing leaves of the trees outside.

The 'falling' leaves are taped to the wall as well as hanging from wire from the branches to add another dimension. They represent the "great cloud of witnesses", those members that have gone before us.

The effect of these branches ended up being very simple visually and, yet, they were able to embrace all of the concepts I had set forth.

I like this idea so much I think I will do something at home like this. It can be done in colors to match any room or occasion. It could be interesting to do a branch all in black or purple for Halloween. Or all white or silver for Christmas or winter. Be inspired, be good,
Scott

I admit that I am competitive.
I always have been. It is uncertain which is stronger, my satisfaction in winning or my detestation of losing. Whatever it is, it is persistent in my life.

Yesterday, I began my 5-mile morning run much like I do every day, when I saw two young men running 1/2 block ahead of me. They were running in my same direction at quite a pace. It was then that I noticed an entire group (gaggle, herd, obstinacy) of college aged men - running a block ahead of the other two - a block and a half ahead of me.

The conversation in my head went like this:
"You don't have to pass them. They are half your age. They are one and a half blocks ahead. You don't need to catch up to them. They are running fast. It's okay to not pass them. It's okay to not win"

I continued to try to convince myself that I would be okay if I didn't pass them, if I didn't win. However, the deeper, quieter voice was in charge telling my body to push forward. I found myself turning it up a notch, and then another notch and then, yet, another notch. One mile later I found myself passing them.
" You are passing them. They are half your age. You can do it. There they go. Eat my dust. Keep going, don't look back. They may catch on that it's a race and then you're in trouble. Keep going, keep going, keep going...."
By the time I dared look back - another mile or so - I couldn't see them.
I had won fair and square and was ready to relax my pace when I spotted a woman a couple of blocks ahead of me. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was dressed in a coordinating jogging outfit - pink and black. Usually, this scenario doesn't threaten me. My regular stride would allow me to pass her in no time. In fact, she probably put makeup on to go running. It didn't take me long to see that the distance between us was increasing, not decreasing as expected.
"What the...? This cannot happen. I can't have just beat a flock of college guys to let pretty-in-pink win."
Now body and mind were in sync. I kicked it into gear. It took another mile to pass her.
"There she goes. Keep going, keep going, keep going. Don't look back."
I had won again.
By the time I finished my run in another 1/2 mile, I was ready to throw up.

But, I won.

Be good,
Scott