SCULPTORS SOCIETY OF CANADA presents NEW MEMBERS

The SCULPTORS SOCIETY OF CANADA presents NEW MEMBERS featuring unique bronze works by BLAKE WARD and woodcarvings by DAN DRISCOLL. Opening in conjunction with SENSUOUS – expressions revealing the power of the passionate spirit – the exhibition begins Saturday, February 14 at 2:00 PM and continues until Friday, March 6, 2015.

The artists will be present for the opening on Saturday afternoon.

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Blake Ward "Ushabti Ryuu" 2014 (detail)

Blake Ward "Ushabti Ryuu" 2014 (detail) bronze 84 x 16 x 17 cm

Blake Ward’s provocative contemporary sculptures in bronze build on the techniques of classical figurative sculpture. His contributions to this exhibition include 4 pieces, Tahere, Mafdet and Mayet (The Twins), and Ryuu from his Spirits series.

Rooted in the classical, Ward challenges the traditional figure by shifting attention toward the exploration of the visual properties of negative space thus leading us inward. By providing an incomplete impression of the human form, he reveals an infrastructure that alludes to the inner landscape of the spirit, where aesthetic ideals make room for the limelight of introspection.

Presenting an intoxicating character of beauty, the narrative within the form refers to the mystery of our human condition. These partial figures convey intellectual, conceptual, and spiritual ideas that go beyond the physical body.

Born in Yellowknife in the Canadian Arctic, Ward received his Fine Arts Degree from the University of Alberta in 1979. In the mid 1980’s, he apprenticed in Paris and in 1991, he moved to his current studio in Monte Carlo to be near his favorite foundry.

His work is in numerous important private and public international collections including that of Prince Albert of Monaco. He has shown in England, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Delhi, the United States, and Canada. Ward is represented in Canada by the Articsok Gallery, Toronto, Rouge Gallery, Saskatoon, The Front Gallery, Edmonton and the Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver.

Dan Driscoll’s search for the perfect subject was simply hidden in ‘plain sight’. Through his insatiable curiosity of everyday – so-called benign objects – simple objects that are usually taken for granted or ignored, he discovered the power of simple forms. Focusing on natural beauty and adhering to “green,” his material of choice is wood.

Scrutinizing folds and undulations of a simple piece of fabric becomes the focus of a magical abstract image. Saturating that image with light and shadow - juxtaposing it with elements of random unrelated everyday forms – can overwhelm, becoming surreal and ambiguous. They need to be seen. Driscoll’s works are all hand-carved from a single block of wood without using adhesives. No colour has been added. It’s all natural.

Driscoll graduated from Denison University with a BA in Studio Art and a Specialized Business Degree focusing on FX/Art and Special Make-up Effects/Sculpture for film. He further studied with the Cedar Ridge Creative Centre and the Board of Education in Toronto. His work has been in many exhibitions in Ontario and is included in private and public collections, having garnered many awards.

Report courtesy of Sculptors Society of Canada.