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Ward portrait2

Artist

Heather Ward

United States

Born in 1979

Joined Artisor: March 2024

Bio

Heather Ward

wildlife scratchboard artist, Los Alamos, NM

I have always loved drawing, and I have always felt connected to animals, so naturally, I drew a lot of animals when I was growing up in rural Massachusetts. As I progressed in my schooling, however, studying took the place of drawing until all I had were doodles in my notebook margins.

As a left-brain-oriented person, I found myself at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute majoring in mathematics and physics. There is a sense of peace and familiarity in numbers, which I quite enjoyed, and higher-level mathematics was a welcome challenge.

Soon after receiving my master’s degree, I moved to New Mexico with my soon-to-be-husband, and worked on computational validation for a time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay in that position for long, and found myself at home preparing to have our first child. This gave me the opportunity I needed to get back into drawing.

Drawing is simple in theory, all you need is a pen or pencil and paper, but it has taken me years of intense practice to reach my current level of ability. Graphite was my go-to for a long time, until I discovered charcoal and its versatility and deep blackness. That was my favorite for a few years, until I discovered scratchboard.

Scratchboard is one of the least forgiving media to work with. There must be a detailed plan in advance, especially if large areas of the black board are to remain untouched. There is some wiggle room for small mistakes, but not large ones. I always use photographic references for my work, and revel in the attention to detail I can achieve with scratchboard.

My subject of choice is animals, of course, but not just any animals. While I do have an occasional tiger or elephant, I generally select lesser-known or underappreciated species, in an attempt to spread awareness of the incredible biodiversity of our amazing planet. Bison and polar bears are iconic, but no more or less important than binturongs and pangolins. In a way, it is a symbolic representation of my neurodiversity. 

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Bio Author: I.G.O.R. Show in Scottsdale

  • Artworks
  • Curriculum Vitae

No current artwork for sale

Ward portrait2

Affiliations:

Solo Exhibitions:

  • Local Wildlife
    The Nature Center, Pajarito Environmental Education Center, Los Alamos, NM 
  • (December, 2018-February, 2019) 
  • A World of Birds
    Mesa Public Library, Los Alamos, NM (May, 2017) 
  • Scratchboard Artworks
    Rose Chocolatier, Los Alamos, NM (April-May, 2016) 
  • Wild About Scratchboard
    The Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM (March-May, 2015) 

Recent Juried Exhibitions and Fairs:

2024

  • Ruidoso Arts Festival, Ruidoso, NM 
  • 18th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, T.H. Brennen Fine Art Gallery,
  • Scottsdale, AZ
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 

2023

  • Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival, Albuquerque, NM
  • Ruidoso Arts Festival, Ruidoso, NM 
  • 17th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, Sugarman Peterson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Las Cruces Arts Fair, Las Cruces, NM 

2022

  • 11thAnnual Scratchboard Exhibit, ArtCenter Manatee, Bradenton, FL 
  • 62nd Annual Art and the Animal Exhibit, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA 
  • Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Ruidoso Arts Festival, Ruidoso, NM 
  • 16th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD 
  • The Animals of North America (Society of Animal Artists), Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Clarksville, TN 
  • Las Cruces Arts Fair, Las Cruces, NM 

2021

  • International Guild of Realism Online Salon 
  • Ruidoso Arts Festival, Ruidoso, NM 
  • Reflections of Nature, Fallbrook Arts Center, Fallbrook, CA 

2020

  • 9th Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 
  • International Guild of Realism Online Salon 
  • Women’s Work, Ghostwolf Gallery, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 

2019

  • 14th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA 
  • 59th Annual Art and the Animal Exhibit, Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX 
  • First Annual Albuquerque Art Showcase, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Shades of Gray, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM 
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 

2018

  • 13th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, Sugarman Peterson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 
  • WILD!, Ghostwolf Gallery with Defenders of Wildlife, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Reflections of Nature, Fallbrook Arts Center, Fallbrook, CA 
  • Fierce and Frail: Of Beings, Beasts, and Seed, Verum Ultimum, Portland, OR 
  • 7th Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Middletown Arts Center, Middletown, OH 
  • 3rd Biennial Wings & Water Exhibit, River Arts, Prairie du Sac, WI 

2017

  • Regional Fine Arts Show, Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, CO 
  • 16th Annual Wildlife Juried Art Competition, Jaycee Center for the Arts, Irving, TX 
  • 10x10x10xTieton!, Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, WA 
  • Winter Art Extravaganza, Brisbane Macgregor Lion’s Club, Brisbane, Australia 
  • WILD!, Ghostwolf Gallery with Defenders of Wildlife, Albuquerque, NM 
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
  • 32nd Annual Texas & Neighbors, Jaycee Center for the Arts, Irving, TX 
  • 35th Annual La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA 
  • 6th Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Stump Hill Gallery, McLaren Vale, Australia 

2016 and Before

  • I Am Become Death, The Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM 
  • 15th Annual Wildlife Juried Art Competition, Jaycee Center for the Arts, Irving, TX 
  • Born to be Wild, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM 
  • 5th Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 
  • Black and White, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
  • 2nd Biennial Wings & Water Exhibit, River Arts, Prairie du Sac, WI 
  • Arts in Harmony, Elk River Arts Alliance, Elk River, MN 
  • 14th Annual Wildlife Juried Art Competition, Jaycee Center for the Arts, Irving, TX 
  • 4th Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD 
  • 3rd Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Page Walker Center, Cary, NC 
  • Things with Wings, The Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM 
  • 12th Annual Wildlife Juried Art Competition, Jaycee Center for the Arts, Irving, TX 
  • 2nd Annual Scratchboard Exhibit, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 

Awards, Etc.:

  • Second Place in Drawing, Ruidoso Arts Festival, 2023
  • Best in Category (Drawing) and Third Place (Drawing), Ruidoso Arts Festival, 2022 
  • Best in Category (Drawing), Ruidoso Arts Festival, 2021 
  • Semifinalist in the 2020 Art Renewal Center’s Salon, Animal category 
  • Finalist in the 2018 Art Renewal Center’s Salon, Animal category 
  • Honorable Mention, International Society of Scratchboard Artists online exhibit, 2018 
  • Best Drawing, 13th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibit, Sugarman Peterson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 
  • Honorable Mention, 3rd Biennial Wings & Water Exhibit, Prairie du Sac, WI 
  • First Place in the Drawing/Pastel category, Regional Fine Arts Show, Lincoln Gallery, CO 
  • Featured Artist in the 35th Annual La Quinta Arts Festival, 2017 
  • Finalist in the 2016 Art Renewal Center’s Salon, Animal category 
  • Editorial in the August 2016 issue of Southwest Art, as one of artists from New Mexico 
  • Commissioned to design trail plaques for the Nature Center, 2016, 2017, 2019 
  • Interview in the January 2016 issue of Southwest Art, as one of the 2015 The Artist’s Magazine Annual Competition finalists 
  • Finalist in the 2015 The Artist’s Magazine Annual Competition, Animal category 
  • Artwork selected for 2014 Run for the Zoo logo, Albuquerque BioPark 

No previous artwork sold