Heather Ward with one of her scratchboard pieces. Courtesy photo
Scratchboard portrait of a deer by Heather Ward. Courtesy photoHeather Ward, Los Alamos resident and mother of two, is a talent to be reckoned with. Her. hyper-realistic wildlife renderings in scratchboard have been displayed Fuller Lodge Art Center, PEEC or Rose Chocalatier as well as in Southwestern Arts Magazine.
“Our world is full of so many interesting and wonderful creatures, not only the majestic tigers, elephants and eagles, but also lesser-known and under-appreciated animals such as Tasmanian devils, ermines, and vultures,” Ward said. “My goal as an artist is to portray all animals as worthy of our curiosity and respect.”
Ward has made it a point to integrate art somehow into her life.
“Through the course of my life, two things have been constant besides family: drawing and animals,” Ward said.
In 2012, Ward dabbled in scratchboard and hasn’t looked back since.
“The high-contrast nature of scratchboard seems to bring drawings to life, and animals in particular are well-suited to the medium, because of the techniques used to remove the black ink from the white clay-coated board,” Ward said.
She is now a Signature member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, a finalist in this year’s ARC Salon, and will be a featured artist at the 35th La Quinta Arts Festival next year in California.
Fuller Lodge Art Center is providing a chance to work with Ward and learn about the medium while creating your own scratchboard piece. She will be teaching a beginner’s class next month. Introduction to Scratchboard will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.
Students will learn about pre-made boards and the many tools and techniques to create intricate drawings. Topics will include tools and the textures they create, working white-on-black, fixing mistakes, adding color, and preserving a finished piece.
The cost of the class is only $30, plus a $12 supply fee paid to the instructor on the day of class. Advanced sign-ups are highly recommended.
For more information, or to sign up, call 505.662.1635 or stop by the Fuller Lodge Art Center in downtown Los Alamos, 2132 Central Avenue, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information on Ward, visit http://www.heatherwardwildlifeart.com/.
To get a full list of classes offered at the Art Center, visit www.fullerlodgeartcenter.com. Get a chance to meet this award winning artist and learn from the best!
