Nancy Jo Ward

Lives and works in Santa Maria, CA, USA

Artist statement

As a media artist and professor emeritus based in Santa Maria, California, I create figurative art that explores contemporary female identities, complex emotions, and internal dialogs driven by a deep fascination with visual culture and how early life experiences shape our psyche. I examine the intricate connections between memory, trauma, and healing, that influence how we perceive the world through experiential filters. The resulting fictional portraits are expressive, dynamic, and emotionally engaging. Themes and Techniques Several key themes are central to my work: Memory and emotional form. The impact of early life experiences on the human psyche. The interplay between trauma, healing, and recovery. My creative process involves a unique fusion of digital tools and analog media. Recent work is initiated on an iPhone using photography, and drawing apps to remix imagery, add details, textures, and colors, and incorporate elements of chance and randomness through embracing digital artifacts. These projects are then pushed out to a computer and further developed using more robust digital drawing tools and printed on a variety of archival papers and aluminum using archival inks. The final process involves working back into each piece, continuing the dialog with traditional media such as oils, acrylics, chalk pastels, and occasionally metallic foils. Presentation I present my art in various forms, including: Mixed media works integrating traditional and digital media on...

Artwork