Michael Ward

When I was a teenager, I began wandering around taking pictures of stuff I found interesting. Inspired by the Photorealist painters, I tried making paintings of the photos. Those early works, while successful (I even made a sale), were put on hold while other life events intervened. I began painting again in the mid-1990s, partly to recreate the early painting that I had sold. I have been painting steadily ever since.

My subject matter comes from photographs I have taken over the past 40 years, mainly in Southern California. I see my paintings as bearing witness to the ordinary environment that we live in but seldom examine closely. The close observation necessary to translate source photographs to canvas allows me to uncover the grace that is hidden in the things around us.

To see available works on canvas, click on the Available for Purchase Collection.

To view works-in-progress, follow me on Instagram:

As a painter, I am self-taught.

Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, 2013-23
Gallery 417, April 2019
Anaheim Cultural Center, December 2016
Retrospective, CAP Gallery, Wells Fargo Bank, 300 Ocean, Laguna Beach, CA. Jan. 1 - Feb. 28, 2015
Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, Summer2014
Chemers Gallery, Tustin, CA, April 2014
Solo Show, Casa Romantica, San Clemente, CA, January 2014
Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, Summer 2013-2016
Solo Show, Studio Gallery, Irvine, CA, January 2013
Featured Artist, Orange Coast Magazine, January 2013
Featured Artist, Blue Canvas magazine #12, 2012
Featured Artist, Art in the OC, August 2012
First place, Summer: an art exhibit, 2nd City Council Art Gallery, Charles Phoenix, juror, 2011
Summer Salon, Tirage Art Gallery, Pasadena, CA 2011