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"Flamenco"
Blake Ward, "Flamenco," bronze, 100 x 39 x 28 cm.
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Studio phenix
"Lau"
Blake Ward, "Lau," bronze, 14 x 25 x 102 cm.
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"Flamenco"
Blake Ward, "Flamenco," bronze, 100 x 39 x 28 cm.
BLAKE WARD
Born: 1956, Yellowknife
Studied: BFA (Honors) University of Alberta, Figurative sculpture, Paris
Lives/Works: Monaco
Price Range: $10,000 - $125,000
Owner Wanda Underhill of the Rouge Gallery in Saskatoon has noticed clients becoming more interested in educating themselves on the value of original art.
“They are prepared to invest in pieces they feel will hold their value and gradually increase, unlike the ups and downs of the stock market.”
One particular artist she recommends is Blake Ward (who signs his work, “Blake”). Based at his studio in Monte-carlo since 1991, Blake is inspired by the beauty of the human form. For his Figurative collection, he sculpts in clay, working from live models to capture the complete human form. His bronze and marble sculptures are then cast or carved in Italy.
In his Fragments series, the hauntingly beautiful fragmented figures were deliberately disfigured by the artist as a kind of protest about the destructive nature of war. Each is named after a type of landmine such as the Apple P-40 piece acquired by the United Nations Association in New York. Blake has had exhibitions from the Arctic to Florida; and from the UK, France and Monaco to Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia with public installations in Monaco, Vietnam and the USA.
Underhill sees collectors buying art for many different reasons: the ‘feeling’, the colours, the technique, matching décor, etc. But what they have in common she says, “…is that by collecting they encourage good artists to continue to create, to feel they are making a difference and to remain committed to their talent."
