Nick Ward, Dandelions #3

Nick Ward, Dandelions #3

Nick Ward

Dandelions #3
Oil on panel
60" x 12" each panel

Website: nickwardwho.com
Instagram: @nickwardwho

About | Nick Ward is figurative painter and printmaker who creates portrait based works that explore timeless stories through the internet obsessed eyes of today. Originally from a small farm town outside Portland, OR, Ward currently resides in the outskirts of Boston with his wife, daughter, and their scrappy dog. His work has twice earned him the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant for painting.

The sight of dandelions springing up around Ward’s neighborhood, bright yellow against carpets of green grass, evokes such a comforting feeling of nostalgia. A perfectly manicured lawn advises you to keep off. One erupting with dandelions offers a warm welcome. Yet for most people, they are a nuisance, a sign that someone has lost control of their land. 

Dandelions are not too different, and no less charming, than a sunflower or chrysanthemum yet, instead of celebrating their beauty, we set out to eradicate them. Compulsions fuel a multibillion-dollar industry. Inside any hardware store there are  isles of products dedicated to eliminating them. 

Despite our best efforts to stop them, dandelions continue to thrive. Martyrs to society’s collective obsession with purity and control.