Artist on the Rise: Quinn Ward

By Max Hofer

Staff Writer

What do a blank canvas and a vast landscape have in common? Both possess untapped potential just waiting to be explored. And it takes an unyielding sprit, like that of Augustana University senior Quinn Ward, to embark on these journeys of discovery.

Quinn Ward

“For a lot of the work that I've done in my portfolio so far, it's just combining multiple different landscapes into one landscape,” Ward said. “Picking and choosing which things I like about each landscape photo and kind of creating the best of all of them.”

Exploration takes a multitude of forms, from the geographical to the creative. Ward’s curiosity has led him down a path where the two forms converge and lead him somewhere new.

“It starts from just thinking about a series of photos that I've just been visualizing,” he said. “Things that I just find interesting in the landscapes – interesting shapes and colors. If I have a more narrative component to that – like, if I want to depict a certain place where a specific thing happened – I might look up photos of that location, but then I'll stitch different images together.

“Sometimes I’ll do that in a Photoshop document or in my sketchbook. From there, I'll create a type of charcoal drawing or ‘under-painting’ on my canvas, and then I'll go into multiple layers of oil paint on that.”

This style of curiosity has been present in Ward from a young age.

“I would just be in my bedroom making whatever I could think of out of cardboard and hot glue,” he said. “Eventually, in high school, that kind of transitioned into a fine arts interest, into painting and drawing, mostly through landscape painting.”

Ward says much of his artwork is thematically centered around history and myth of the western landscapes.

“The Black Hills are the traditional homeland of the Oceti Sakowin unseated land,” he said. “And a lot of my current body of work is centered around these ideas and tensions in the American West.”

“Costner’s Last Stand” oil on canvas, by Quinn Ward

A subject that hits close to home for Ward, as he grew up in Lead, S.D.

“My family goes back to Lead, like six generations, as members of the Black Hills Society of Pioneers,” Ward said. “It's a group of very elderly people who trace their ancestry to the first settlers of or non-native settlers of the Black Hills.”

Eventually, the artist’s talents landed him a scholarship with Augustana University in Sioux Falls, where his affinity for landscape painting earned him a role within their theatre department.

“I've gotten to take on a number of opportunities doing set design,” Ward said. “I've gotten to do three or four shows at Augustana. The first few sets that I designed were really just some flats, some walls put up with a landscape painted onto it.

“There's a production we did called The Trail to Oregon, which was really fun. I got to do kind of this ‘90s, 8-bit style landscape for that production. And in a few of the other productions, I've gotten to kind of branch out, thinking more three-dimensionally and more design-focused, rather than the just landscape-focused.”

His creativity with productions landed him an opportunity with the Black Hills Playhouse, where he painted a set for their traveling children's show. In the midst of his work with the department, the artist still carves out time to create his own pieces in the university’s art studio.

“For my current body of work, I have kind of settled on this painterly, stylized look.” he said in reference to his piece titled “Costner’s Last Stand.”

“Run Wild!” oil on canvas, by Quinn Ward

Currently, Ward’s art is displayed in a show at Northern State University in Aberdeen through the Midwest Nice Collective. His work is also featured in the South Dakota Governor’s Biennial, which travels to various galleries across the state for fresh eyes to discover.

“It's exciting. It makes me excited about the future of, you know, a career in visual art.”

Ward’s sights are set on getting a few pieces into the Augustana Senior Show, which runs in April until graduation in May.

“That will be both at the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery, here on campus, and at the Washington Pavilion,” he said. “If all goes well and I graduate – knock on wood – I'll have a few pieces in those shows.”

The young painter hopes his work not only plants the seeds of inspiration for future artists, but also important conversations.

“I just hope that my work might spark some ideas and conversations in rural areas where I come from – specifically in thinking about social connections and our stewardship of the landscape.”

Ward reflects on his creative journey with gratitude towards his family, friends and peers.

“It's been just a tremendous privilege,” he said. “I keep thinking about all of the support that I've gotten from the art department here at Augustana and from my parents. To be able to feel comfortable and confident in trying to go into arts, that's a unique privilege for sure.”

After graduation, Ward plans to earn his Masters of Fine Arts and is currently applying to graduate programs. For any young artists looking to blaze their own trail, the Augie senior offers two words of advice.

“Make art. Just keep that energy flowing. Step one is to keep making art and keep sketching,” he said. “Sometimes, I don't want to put in long hours in the studio, but I just keep on making things that are exciting to me, and that’s been the best advice I've been given.”

Explore more of Ward’s work by visiting his website, quinnward.art.