Michael Ward Artwork

Mi Salon

2012-02-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Another large painting (24" x 36"), this one of a beauty salon in Santa Ana, CA. The girl was added, though she was photographed on the same street, so she would have passed by anyway. And the guy inside would have checked her out.

And Again

2011-11-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, Fishermen's Hardware is finally going out of business, a victim of the economy and overfishing. It was as much an institution as the adjacent Joe Jost's, which dates from before prohibition, and still survives, being somehow immune to the curse.

The Ward Curse strikes again

2011-10-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

The subjects I choose to paint seem to be prone to destruction. It happened to the house in my painting "Mr. Hopper Waters the Lawn", among others, and has now happened to this Corona del Mar house. It was inevitable, given the ocean-view location. What was once a charming mid-century house will become an overwrought mini-mansion more suitable, unfortunately, for the neighborhood.

Old painting, new fame

2011-09-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

This older work was selected for the home page of Bluecanvas.com.
It's one of my early gouache works, of a bar on Anaheim St. in Long Beach, where my father went to drink.
You can see my work on Bluecanvas here.
If I get enough traffic on that site, it may work into a feature in the print magazine.

Drive by painting

2011-09-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

This painting, La Opinion, was done from a photograph taken while driving around Long Beach, CA. The location is somewhere on Atlantic Ave., I think. The view has been simplified somewhat. I love the utility boxes on the left. These are things we truly don't see in our everyday journeyings, since they have no discernable function, and therefore no relevance to us (those of us not telephone linemen).

Sold

2011-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

My painting Traverse City One sold at the 2ndCC Gallery Summer show. This breaks up my Home is Where the House Is series, so I will either have to repaint it or find a substitute, for that day sometime in the future when I have a show of these house paintings. This brings the number of paintings sold this year to seven, which is a record for me.

Summer show at 2cc Gallery Long Beach

2011-08-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Three of my works will be featured at the Summer show at 2cc Gallery in Long Beach. Opening is Sat., Aug. 13, 7-9. Juror was Charles Phoenix, whom I'm told is an interesting fellow. He collects old slides. I do the same, but the hard way--by taking pictures and then waiting 30 years. My Speros painting is featured on the show flyer--nice choice!

Nice Writeup

2011-08-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's always interesting to find out how other people perceive one's work. Here's a nice writeup from another blogger who has some interesting comments, prompted by her viewing of this painting, which I sold several years ago.

This early work took over a year to complete, working on it off and on. It was on the easel so long that the frame sagged in the middle. It's a view of a fireworks stand at the corner of Harbor and MacArthur, in Santa Ana.

He made me what I am today

2011-06-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

I belatedly note the passing of Leigh Stocker, a friend and photographer I knew during my formative years (artistically speaking) in Long Beach in the late 1970s. I began painting during that time, and when I left Long Beach to move in with my girlfriend (now wife), Leigh predicted an end to my painting. He was right for a few years, but I always remembered his comment, and have been trying to prove him wrong ever since.

Take a look at his work here. If you do, be sure to read his biography for some essential context. In a person's life, there are perhaps one or two people who have a profound influence. Leigh was one of those, for me and a lot of others.

Ambala Cash and Carry

2011-06-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

The latest large-scale (actually medium-scale) work, an urban scene in Little India, Artesia, California. The man with a sack was repositioned from the original photograph, and a few things were simplified. Size is 18 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas as usual.

Puerto Vallarta Tree

2011-05-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

This painting was a composite of two images taken in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I found the drink vendor at the north end of the Malecon, and moved him down adjacent to the phone booth-equipped tree. He's selling a refreshing fruit and nut drink--only 12 pesos. This painting was part of the Artist Eye show in Laguna Beach (running until May 31), and sold the night of the May artwalk.

Why So Many Liquor Paintings?

2011-05-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah, why? My obsession with liquor signs, and liquor stores, is not indicative of any alcoholic tendencies (I think). Rather, I put it down to childhood experience, having migrated at age 12 from a semi-dry state (Montana) to California, where there was a liquor store on every commercial block, it seemed. And the corner grocery stores that had sustained my candy habit in Montana were not in evidence in California, so to waste my allowance on sugary treats I had to venture into those liquor stores, rubbing shoulders with alcoholics and other denizens. I think I appreciate the lack of subtlety; the lit signs, the arrows, the appetite-enhancing red lettering. They are perhaps a metaphor for California itself: come, enjoy, indulge, let loose, live. Consequences? You can suffer those in silence, away from the neon glow.

This painting is of a store on Normandie Ave. in Torrance. I love that the more-healthy part of the signage (milk, ice cream) has faded and cracked, but Liquor is still vibrant. Also love the Koren church sign down at the bottom, but that's grist for another post.

Unique Visions Show

2011-05-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

My work will be featured in the Unique Visions show at Tirage Art Gallery in Pasadena, opening May 21, and running through July 5. They're hanging 4 or 5 pieces, with more hiding in the storeroom in back. Details at http://www.tirageart.com/cexhibit.html.

Mystery house

2011-05-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

I discovered this image while looking through my slide archive. It's a picture I took in 1980, location unknown (probably Los Angeles or Long Beach). It was a perfect addition for my House series. The car is an Olds Omega, an obsolete model of an obsolete make. In painting the house, I discovered that the garage has a folding door, which dates it to the 20's or 30's. That suggests that the main house has been extensively remodeled, losing all of it's architectural ornamentation in the process. What lurks under the heavy coat of stucco? We'll never know.

Sold

2011-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

There is some life in the art world still. I have sold, through my gallery Tirage Art, my painting of Million Article Thompson. In the eighties, when D J Waldie and I were roaming the southland looking for points of interest, we came upon this sign in deepest south central LA (then known as Watts), on Vermont Ave. What a wonder and a mystery: the elaborate diction of the sign, the sheer size, and it's persistence down through the years. In the mid 2000s, when I was ready to paint that image, I returned with camera to see if the place still existed. Remarkably, it did, though the marginal enterprise of hardware store was gone, replaced by the "Coolie Indian Club". The wonderful sign, too expensive to tear down, persists, having survived earthquakes and insurrections. The man in the painting, one of my first additions of a figure, was from the mid 2005 photo shoot. He's eyeing the picture-taking white boy on the meridian with suspicion--DEA, ICE, CRA? Some kind of threat, surely. But Million Article will protect him.

Another painting in the Artist Eye Laguna show

2011-04-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

Puerto Vallarta Tree. A scene along the Malecon, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A composite of a couple of images, one of the tree and phonebooth, the other of a man selling a fruit flavored drink dispensed from a gourd (and very tasty). I brought them together in this view of the Malecon, the promenade along Banderas Bay in PV.

One for the show

2011-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

I painted this for my April show at the Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach, running from April 1 to April 30. It should catch the eye of a tourist or two, being a local landmark; a former gas station office recycled as a lifeguard tower.

More info on the Artist Eye Gallery can be found here.

Corona Del Mar house

2011-03-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Another in my series of house paintings. This one is in Corona Del Mar, CA, a part of Newport Beach. In keeping with it's oceanfront location, this modest million-dollar abode sports a fleeting attempt at nautical decor out front, in the two anchors dumped on the lawn. I was drawn by the symmetry, the cheerful yellow trim, and the walleye windows. I took some creative license in demolishing the mansions behind it and replacing them with simpler Spanish stucco structures. This helps keep the focus on the main house, and saved me a bit of work as well.

Somewhere West of Grayling

2011-03-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

Another in my series of house paintings, this is a painting of a house near Grayling, Michigan. Grayling is a town in northeastern Michigan. This house is just off the highway leading west out of town, towards Traverse City, and the cottage on the Manistee River that I vacation at. I chopped down a few trees for this painting, and repainted the house from pukey green to boxcar red, to give it a more defiant look. In spite of that, nature still seems to be winning. The size of the house within the frame of the canvas is smaller than the other houses in this series, to emphasize the wilderness surrounding it. And the title is taken from the classic ad for Jordan Automobiles from the 1920s, which begins, "somewhere west of Laramie."

Beautify Your City

2011-02-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

This is the latest addition to my Walkabout series, based on photos taken in Southern California in July of 1976. Sometimes I have a title in mind when I start a painting, sometimes a title only emerges after the painting is done. This one started out as Cherry Quality Market (the obvious choice), but as I painted it, I was struck by the irony of the message on the trash-filled bus bench, and the painting became "Beautify Your City." A larger version can be seen on Flickr.

I have been informed that the car in the corner is an Oldsmobile. Probably the reason I took the shot. If so, I was a little late on the shutter.

The Brag Book

2011-02-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

I created this book of available paintings to shop around to art galleries. You can view the PDF here. Only a few copies were printed, but if there's interest I may do more.

Pink Elephant (third version)

2010-12-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

The first version of this painting was done in the early 80's, and sold for a pittance. The desire to reclaim the image led me to repaint it a decade later, and that led to me getting back into painting on an active basis. The second pink elephant, a small work about 12 x 16, was given away, tho I get to see it occasionally. This third version is a big one, about 24 x 30, and will probably be the last.

The original sign hung over a bar on 1st St. in Long Beach, CA. It has long since been removed, and lives in seclusion in a private collection.

2011 Calendar

2010-12-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

My 2011 calendar is now available. You'll find a link for ordering this on my website. You can also get calendars through Red Bubble. If you're relative, friend or client, you should already have one. Enjoy.

Another Bozeman House

2010-12-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

This is the third Bozeman house in my House series. This gem is on the Southwest side of town. I borrowed the plastic chair from another house, and repositioned the windows to be symmetrical. Under the Big Sky on a warm late September day, it is a symphony in blue. It inhabits a world where storm windows exist side by side with air conditioners, and a rare day like this must be taken advantage of, for in a few weeks the sprinkling of white flowers will be replaced by the sprinkling of white snow.

In Escrow (Second Version)

2010-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

This is a repaint of an image I sold, done in a new size for my Houses series. The title was chosen by my wife, who has a keen sense about these things. House stood on the westside of Long Beach, and has no doubt long since been redeveloped into faceless condos, or worse. But once it was a cheerful bit of art deco basking in the California sun, with a hopeful magnolia tree out front.

Another Michigan barn

2010-12-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

More "tourist ware", but this time a little artier. This barn is out on route 72 west of Traverse City, Michigan, on the way to Cedar. I spent a bit more time on this one; initially by altering the compostion (cutting down the trees on either side, changing the shadows) and then in the painting of all the lovely rust and faded paint. In the original photo there's a great big bush in the center of the shot that hides a big chunk of the barn. I debated whether to leave it in or take it out; in the end I just pruned it.

Update 2011: This painting sold, dammit. I may have to paint it again.

Tourist art

2010-12-20T08:53:00.001-08:00

I wanted to see if I could paint something that would sell easily in the souvenir market, i.e. "tourist art". The barns of northern Michigan fall into this category, so I took some snapshots, and created this composition from several images to come up with a very "calendar art" scene. Painting this went very quickly, about 8 hours total. So I could, in theory, crank these out in quantity. How sick I would get of doing so, and whether the tourists would bite, remains to be seen.

Positively Fourth Street

2010-11-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

This is a highly manipulated view of Fourth Street in Long Beach, CA, on the Retro Row between Cherry and Junipero. Windows and trees have been moved, clouds added, along with a bit of a balding head originally found in the Fashion District of Los Angeles. In the Sixties, this portion of 4th Street was home to Bob's Hobby Shop (and little else), which I frequented regularly.

Rejected Art

2010-09-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

A clever fellow in New Zealand, Matt Akehurst, has created the Rejected Art Award, for, obviously, art that has been rejected for other awards. I have added Persistence to the pile, which was rejected by the brahmins at New American Painting, along with a host of other works by me.

Matt is awarding prizes for the best rejected work, which brings up the question: will there be an award for art rejected by the Rejected Art Award?

Also brings up a more pertinent question, why the judging for art awards is so dismal.

My work featured in The Neon Show

2010-09-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

Three of my paintings are featured in The Neon Show at Austin Details gallery in Austin Texas, through mid-October. Works featured are Sin, Liquor Arrow #3, and Trailer Port.

Thanks, Jann, and best of luck with the show and the gallery.

The Last Frontier

2010-09-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is a painting of a view of Dana Point, when I lived there, circa 1983. At that time it was a sleepy beach town, truly the last frontier of southern California. The laundromat is still there, but most else has changed dramatically since then. Del Prado St., seen here, is now a busy one-way offshoot of Pacific Coast Highway. The beach bums & surfers are long gone, replaced by latte sippers and the upwardly mobile.

Twentynine Palms featured on ArtReview.com

2010-08-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

My work was featured on the website for Art Review. Whee!

Art Kudos Finalist

2010-08-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that my work, Persistence, has been accepted as a finalist in the 2010 Art Kudos competition. Lots of other great work there as well.

Twentynine Palms house

2010-07-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is the side view of a house in Twentynine Palms, CA. Perhaps it is the heat, perhaps the lack of view that kept the builder from putting a window in this wall. It isn't the traffic, since the street deadends just beyond the house. But there is a satellite hookup, so perhaps looking out is not necessary.

The dog outside the fence was added, from a picture taken in Mascota, Mexico. He has an appropriately mean, defensive look to him. The dog inside the fence was actually there, barking ferociously as I took the photo.

TC gets a twin

2010-07-10T13:31:00.001-07:00

TC One is joined by it's mirror-image twin, cleverly titled TC Two. A complement to the brown house retreating into shadow, this is a painfully white house in full sun. A lot of subtle manipulation was done on this one to alter the vanishing point to match that of TC One.

Partial Sign Series

2010-07-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

One in a series of partial paintings of signs. This one is the Sincere Trading Company in Chinatown in Los Angeles. Cropping it, and changing the sign color from green to red, changes the meaning a bit. The dilapidated and peeling paint adds another moral comment. Not sure what the lightbulb symbolizes, maybe knowledge, in which case this become a take on the "original" sin.

San Pancho

2010-07-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

A little painting on board from a photo of ripped and fading signs pasted on a utility pole in San Francisco (San Pancho), Mexico. Looks like a poster for some sort of musical event, overlaying another poster of which you can see just an eye. This borders on abstract, and is fairly loose. It was painted mostly during my stay in Puerto Vallarta. Not exactly on-site, but close.

Another House

2010-07-07T11:23:00.001-07:00

Another house in the series. This one is in Traverse City, Michigan. It's one of a pair. My first attempt at doing a subject so much in shadow. Turned out to be fairly easy to execute. The shadowing gives the house a real depth.

The house series

2010-07-07T11:14:00.001-07:00

Working on a set of house paintings for a future show. This one is a house in Mascota, Jalisco, Mexico. A Mexican rendition of a suburban American house, complete with a front yard.