Camilla Ward

Camilla lives and paints from her studio in Cheltenham.  She achieved a BA (Hons) first class degree at the University of Gloucestershire in Visual Studies with Cultural Studies before going on to complete an MA in Ceramics at the University of Wolverhampton.  She practiced as a ceramicist for many years developing a distinctive style which is instantly recognisable and full of colour and texture as are her paintings, a medium in which is she is equally adept.  She now paints full time and says of her paintings:

 “Surface and line are fundamental to my work and most exciting is the effect of colour on space, light and mood within a painting.

Like many artists my spur is the world about me whether at home or travels further afield; my real or imagined experiences of the present and the past.

Drawings, notes and photos evolve in the studio into mainly abstract images that occasionally border on landscapes.  My background in ceramics is never far away. I build up the surface, laying down colour and texture, sometimes applying clay, editing back, maybe simply wiping marks away, then overpainting, reworking, scratching and scoring. It’s about the actual pleasure of paint, bold or fragile. It can appear to be, and often is, intuitive and spontaneous but there is a counterpoint of order.”

I want the paintings to speak for themselves and I hope to intrigue the viewer through a language beyond words.”

Camilla has exhibited widely in the Cheltenham area as well as at other venues in the UK including Bristol (Affordable Art Fair), London, Essex and Berkshire.