I work with clay, found metal, rawhide and collected minerals. I’m interested in what happens when a familiar form meets something it has to adapt to: a weight, a restraint, a break, a support.
Current work
Holding
Holding begins with a form that has to accommodate something else. Metal, rawhide and clay meet under pressure. Something is supported, restrained, pulled apart or held in place.
I’m interested in the uncertainty of those relationships. A support can become a restraint. A repair can change the thing it was meant to preserve. The form continues, but it doesn’t return to what it was.
Jan 28 2026Winter Count Primitive Skills CampArizona. Private eventWorkshop
Jan 28 2026Roche Gallery openingTucson, AZOpening
Jan 2 2026Tubac Center for the Arts, Upcycled exhibition openingTubac, AZOpening
BIO-01Portrait of RichardRichard in market attire, in the studio or outdoors. Direct to camera or working.
Richard Ward
My background moves through painting, design and building with earth. Those experiences still shape how I work: I pay attention to what a material does, where it resists and what happens when I bring it into contact with something else.
