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Profile
In
a Canberra art museum I saw work by indigenous Australians who, for
various
reasons, only began completing or showing their art when they were
beyond the
age of 50. The exhibit was called
“Emerging Elders.” I guess
– if I need a
label – “Emerging Elder” is something to shoot for. Emerging
is the tricky part though, isn’t it?Artist's Statement
My paintings represent an effort to provide a break from day-to-day "functional" concerns; and create opportunities to consider a subject (an object, idea, action, emotion, ... anything really), in a way it may not have been considered before. That's the philosophy. Really I do these paintings because they're mine. No clients, City officials, or contractors to please; no endless permitting processes; and usually no real deadlines. This is a welcome change after my previous career: Kind of like Happy Hour after a long day of work.
My initial goal with a painting is to create an interesting image – something that may spark the curiosity of a viewer at a glance and prove to be worth a longer look and/or repeated viewing. Interest may be generated by some combination of composition, form, color, subject matter, contrasting elements (busy / simple, inside / outside, light / dark, geometric / organic, and so on), repetitive shapes, size, materials, or just plain luck. Also, my paintings will typically include references to relationships between built and natural environments. I'm not really concerned with "style" or most traditional studio techniques; and I missed the class where they taught that a frame should go on the outside of a painting.
I do paintings with water-based paints on salvaged hollow-core doors and other recycled building materials. This keeps the doors out of the landfill (at least for a while), and they work well for the hard-edged approach I like to use. Also, I like the idea of windows and doors conveying us – visually and/or physically – between the security of indoor space to the less certain world outside. The proportions of standard doors, however, are rarely ideal for most compositions, and I want to demonstrate that this media is a flexible, viable alternative to canvas. So I frequently assemble multiple doors - or parts of doors - patched and repaired with scrap lumber, into more appropriate proportions: usually approximating "golden rectangles". I often go on a whole math/geometry head-trip about golden spirals, Fibonacci series numbers, mean and extreme ratios, etc. Anyway, it all ties nicely with the whole built vs. natural idea: Trust me.
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Background
Eldon Ward
received a Fine Arts degree from CSU in 1975 and is returning to
painting after
a 30-year career as an urban designer.
In the late 70s,
Eldon’s abstract/geometric paintings were purchased by the Fort
Collins Public
Library and Colorado
State University.
His large-scale wall graphics were commissioned by a number of
businesses in
the Colorado Front Range between 1973 and 1980.
Eldon has
served on the Boards of Directors of the Fort Collins Housing
Commission,
Downtown Development Authority, Fort Collins Inc., and the High Plains Environmental
Center. He was named Fort Collins “Entrepreneur of
the Year” in
1994.
Recent Art Exhibits & Recognition
- "Featured Artist" by Virtual Museum January,2012
- AANC "Tag" Show - January, 2012
- L.E.A.H. Exhibit - September, 2011
- Poudre Studio Artists' Recycled Art Exhibit -
September, 2011
- ReSource "ReVisions " Exhibit - June, 2011
- CoCOA Regional/Juried Show - June, 2011: Award Winner
- "Featured Artist" by Painters
Universe - January, 2011; April, 2011
- "Featured Artist" by Artists
Universe - May, 2011; August 2011
- "Featured Artist" by Painters in Modern Times - October, 2010
- 19th Annual AANC
National Art Exhibition - April,
2010
- Art Lab Loveland show - June, 2010
- CoCOA Members shows - June, 2010; December, 2010;
December 2011
- "Featured Artist" by Acrylic Painting, RedBubble.com - October, 2010
Previous
Career Experience
Cityscape Urban
Design, Inc., Fort Collins,
Colorado
- September 1983 – March 2009. Owner/President.
ZVFK
Architects/Planners, Fort Collins,
Colorado
- August 1978 - September 1983. Senior
Planner/Project Manager,.
City of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, Colorado
- December
1975 - August 1978. City Planner.
Winterflower
Incorporated, Fort Collins,
Colorado
- August 1975 - December 1975. Artist and
Designer.
Freelance Design
Work, Fort Collins, Colorado
- November 1973 - August 1978. Fine Art
and Graphic Design.
Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- April 1972 - August 1975. Mural
(Supergraphic) Artist, Graphic Design.
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