Nigel Ward: Intermigration

Nigel Ward, a recent émigré to New Zealand from England, looks at nature in his own inimitable way. On exhibit are paintings, photographs, giclée prints, sculpture and ceramics which display the inspirational influences that are evident in the artist’s work. His muse is currently ‘all things Kiwi’ and anything that has played a significant part in his family’s integration into the New Zealand way of life. Influences on his creativity include people, vehicles, music, architecture, culture, nature and even packaging. Two works by Nigel’s daughter Isobelle, known as Izzy, will also be displayed as his tribute to young artists who look at the world and nature in different ways. This reflects Ward’s desire to encourage the appreciation and practice of art from an early age.

“When observing any structure, natural or manmade, one thing is certain: the eventuality of it being reclaimed by nature. The erosion of a vehicle by rust and the wrinkling of skin on a human face all show signs of nature at work. However, most people are oblivious to the fact that this very slow process of reclaiming is taking place before their very eyes. Buildings that have stood for one hundred years often show signs of deterioration due to erosion from the elements. This in itself results in the softening of materials that once were part of nature.”

“Ceramics, however, are unlike most materials in that centuries after nature tries to reclaim broken shards, man is able to dig them up, piece them together and once more gaze at the beauty of something created by our ancestors.

“This exhibition gives me an opportunity to share some of the beautiful things taking place in nature, of which the majority of people would not observe. When looking around each day it is the norm to see a landscape and not walk into that landscape and explore the smallest areas of it where tiny communities of life can be seen staking a claim to the environment. Stand close to the photographic images and follow some of the intricate lines and patterns created by nature and the elements. In my paintings I try to capture some of the randomness of pattern and line when observed at close quarters, but when you step back an overall image takes shape, one where the finer details are missed. Some of the photographic images give me inspiration for mixes of colour that nature throws together so randomly but work so well in conjunction with each other”.

From a young age, Nigel has enjoyed doing art and continues to ensure that it plays a large part in his life. “It was one of the few subjects I did at school where I got praise and succeeded in every lesson.” At age nine he exhibited his work and received third place for a painting of horses in a field. “The excitement of thinking that someone appreciated what I created has always stayed with me.” Ward undertook art studies at Bilston College (1977-79); Wolverhampton University (1979-80) and then achieved a BA with Honours in Ceramics and Glass from the University of Central England (1980-83). He was awarded an MA in Industrial Ceramic Design from Staffordshire University in 1986 which had included a placement as a designer at Royal Doulton, Burslem. Nigel Ward has had great success over the years, exhibiting work in America and the UK during the 1980s; he had his own design company in the late '80s. To ensure a more steady income Ward retrained for a year to become a teacher. “From that point life took over and although my desire was always to get back into the production of art pieces, other commitments did not give me the time. A further decade passed before I realised I needed to reduce the pace of life and increase the quality of it in an effort to give me time to return to the thing I am most passionate about: creating artistic objects”. Ward and his family moved to New Zealand to accomplish that aim. Today he works as a Special Needs teacher at Freyberg High School and Intermigration is his first solo exhibition in New Zealand.

Event listed by Stuart Schwartz

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