ART News:

This year’s Los Alamos Artists Studio Tour is Oct. 11-12 and the Los Alamos Daily Post is featuring a “Get to Know Your Artist” series leading up to the annual event.

Each of the 16 artists participating in the tour will be showcased prior to the beginning of the tour to allow our readers an opportunity to learn about them and their work.

Meet Los Alamos artist Heather Ward:

Nature is my inspiration. I have always loved animals, so they are (almost) always the focus of my work. I am particularly fond of cats of all sizes, but I will draw anything that strikes me from snakes to owls to koalas.

Artist Heather Ward holding her wildlife portrait ‘Snow King.’ Courtesy photo

 

I strive to create highly realistic drawings of animals, both wild and domestic, by pushing my media to the limits to achieve the effects I want. After working in charcoal for several years, I was drawn to scratchboard because of its high contrast. From my first board, I had fallen in love.

 

The nature of scratchboard seems to bring the animals to life. Scratchboard is a board coated with white clay with a thin layer of black ink on top. Some boards are left white so artists can add their own inks of various colors. The ink is scratched away to reveal the white underneath. I use more than just a knife, and will try any abrasive tool to see how I can make it work for me. My favorites so far are the fiberglass brush, curved knife blade and sandpaper.

Originally from Massachusetts, I have lived in Los Alamos for nearly 12 years. I am a Signature member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists and have exhibited my work in several states and in Canada.

 

My drawing “Zoo Babies” was chosen for the 2014 Run for the Zoo logo, and I have taught classes at Fuller Lodge. My original drawings and commissions may be found in private collections across the country.