Q&A with Rik Ward
Rik Ward's artworks were recommended to me by a client. I invited him to submit works, and when I saw then, I was blown away. Rik describes his works as Photo-Composites. What I saw were not what I considered to be photographs, but more like photo paintings. Rik's pieces are visceral, textural and rich in concept and construct. It gives me great pleasure to invite you to get to know more about Rik and his work.
You have had a fascinating, tumultuous journey in your career as an artist. Will you share this with us?
As a child, art was partly a form of escapism in a troubled home. An art foundation course was followed by four years studying illustration in London. That was a real growing experience; lots of commercial experience meant setting up as a freelancer wasn't so daunting. Work started to come in regularly, mainly from book publishers and the BBC. I did personal work - portraits, mixed media art - when I had time. In 1987 I sent a colour slide of a portrait I'd done of Sting one lonely Christmas to A&M Records. I got a call to say Sting loved it. The journey to his home was fraught; my car broke down a mile from his house. As I climbed up the hill at Archway, the heavens opened. I looked like a drowned rat, but the painting was delivered unscathed.
My freelance work began to tail off in the 1990s due to changes in publishing at the time. But there was another factor I was unaware of; I was succumbing to the slow onset of depression and anxiety, resulting in a breakdown in the mid-90s. My mental distress was compounded by stigma and financial hardship. Recovery took several years, and low-paid social care work eventually became my regular occupation. Even though I felt better, I lost my innate appreciation of the visual world around me, and I dreaded the thought of doing any kind of art commercially. Then, in 2003, I began a job that eventually entailed teaching technology and art, and I began to regain my appetite for being creative.
This was further bolstered in 2015 when I bought a camera. As someone not keen to learn about cameras and computer software by the book, I ended up experimenting a lot, creating innovative composite images quite by accident. I've been refining the technique ever since. I've gained satisfaction in my work that I never felt I would achieve again after a decade of illness.
Rik Ward : UCL to Denmark Street
How have your teaching years informed your practice, and what have you learned from your students?
At art college, none of us felt that we learned a great deal from tutoring. I started writing in my sketchbooks about what I thought I should know and how to teach and all that turned into my first teaching notes. As I taught art over the years, I managed to create some clarity and practicality in a very subjective topic, and I found this helpful in tackling my own creative projects. My students have taught me that the teaching sessions themselves are often more rewarding than a finished artwork. They've also taught me that the therapeutic benefits of being creative, for them and myself, can be profound and wide-ranging.
Your first collections were called "Photo-fusions" how did this come about?
There are typical ways of combining photos; cutting them out and pasting with others, taking multiple exposures in a camera, and so on. My new works were very different, unlike any photo-composite technique I've seen to date. I felt a new name was called for to reflect that fact.
You describe your works as photo-fusions, what are these, and how do they differ from conventional photo-composites?
I stumbled upon a technique for combining multiple photos when playing around with editing software. I've done artworks where photos have been cut out and pasted to create a typical photo-composite, and I've layered transparencies. My photos go through a more sophisticated form of layering or merging (fusing), and they vary in subject and structure. Some show great depth and transparency and the fusing of different images is very subtle. Others are more like paintings – hints of oils and watercolours (but this is never deliberate).
Rik Ward : After the Rain - Palazzo Strozzi
You would prefer to keep your creative processes secret, could you tell us why?
That's easy. If I'm the only artist on the planet who knows how to create a photo-fusion, it gives me a commercial edge. I really don't think the uniqueness of my working method is recognised enough. I've heard people being dismissive of my work, commenting that "it's just photoshopped." I would love to explain to anyone that an awful lot of work goes into creating each of my artworks and, although I use computing software, I don't use Photoshop! The works I present for sale are about 10% of all the fusions I create – I only keep the very best. My work's uniqueness has been noted in social media inquiries from students and professionals, many wanting to know 'the secret' in order to exploit the same technique. I've explained many times that the technique is not too difficult, and the tools needed are hidden in plain sight. I'm confident that someone will one day make the same discovery I did, and good luck to them. I hope they enjoy the creative journey as much as I do!
What can you reveal any your artistic process? Our clients would love to get to know you and your works better.
As an art tutor and illustrator, I've always been an 'open book', always keen to give others the benefit of my experience. My photo-fusions start off from photos I take; I began with a compact camera and then progressed to a top Sony mirrorless camera with multiple lenses. I shoot in RAW format; the images produced look lifeless and must be optimised with software. RAW files are much more adaptable than the typical jpeg format – they contain a lot more subtle detail, and I use Adobe Lightroom to process them. After that, my pictures are converted to a jpeg format, and then I'm ready to start picking photos to work with or fuse. This is not a straightforward process; selecting can require a lot of trial and error, and the number of photos used in each fusion can be varied as well. With a batch of 200 photos to work with, it's easy to choose two pictures to combine, but the combination may not work, so the hunt goes on for a pair that do. I've also had good results with choosing six or more to combine. There are several different programs I use to fuse the photos. Then I have to finalise them in a further stage using Lightroom. The fusion pictures can then be fused with other images (fusions or otherwise); the possibilities to create are endless!
How has your work and your technique developed from the first early tries?
I remember thinking my first fusions were amazing; I'd just never seen an effect like it. In hindsight, they were often crude and lacked the subtlety I've been able to develop since. Also, I wasn't making the best use of optimising software in my photos, and some effects were magnified during the fusion processing. Unsightly dots often formed over fusions that had to be laboriously removed. Subject wise, in the last two years, I've included more people to add focus to images of streets, shops and building facades.
You produce original works alongside editions; please let us know the differences?
My originals are uniquely sized and framed, just like a painting. The editions are smaller, in three sizes and printed on a different art paper to the originals. They have a border and are unframed.
You have expressed an interest in capturing unconventional beauty in photography like graffiti and dereliction. What attracts you to these aspects of the world, and why do you think they are not considered beautiful in conventional photography?
I think it's important that people know my background as an artist. I didn't approach photography to be a photographer – I was being an artist using a camera. I looked at the magazines devoted to conventional photography, and I found the subjects covered somewhat limiting. I think an artist just tends to see the world differently to some typical enthusiasts. I'm often stared at for taking pictures of 'nothing', like the shadow of a window ledge, spilt paint on concrete or a crack in a wall. Other people like photographing tourist attractions, landscapes, weddings, wildlife or sports - each to their own.
Rik Ward : UCL to Denmark St.
How do you choose your locations, and why do you focus on cities?
Although I've had some success with dreamy seascapes, I generally like a more solid subject where I can manipulate the three-dimensionality of streets or buildings. There is such a wide range of materials in old and new architecture. The way form and materials (like glass) interact with light is often the element I'm photographing, not the building itself. Shadows and reflected light fascinate me, and I see these mainly in an urban environment. I'm happy to go anywhere for a photoshoot. I've never yet returned from any village or city without a crop of RAW images.
What does a working day look like for you?
I teach painting three times a week to older adults of Bromley and Greenwich. My train journey into Kent is against the main commuter flow, and I usually walk through local woods to get to my office – a calming start to the day. Many of my clients are regulars and as they are painting with acrylics, music plays, which everyone enjoys. I make occasional, constructive criticism where necessary – amongst lots of encouragement. For many of my painters, it's the main focus of their week.
Later, a similar small group arrive for a technology session, which covers laptops, tablets, smartphones, social media, staying safe, etc. Lots of people are initially reluctant to attend, but the social pressure to be online and familiar with gadgets forces them. Many people return as it's the only comfortable, jargon-free environment in which they can learn.
Back home, I usually go straight to my main Mac. There will be photos to optimise and old ones to look through to create new photo-fusions. Some sessions produce very little, but occasionally an evening can be very prolific. If I'm lucky, I might have time to spend a couple of hours hopping on and off the DLR to take pictures in all sorts of random places around London, new and old. Occasionally, a weekend drive might take me to the Home Counties in search of anything interesting. With my day job as a tutor, I end up working a 60-70 hour week.
How is art therapeutic for you, and why?
I've given talks on the subject of recovering from mental illness. I always mention the fact that I'm not cured and that I have to manage my illness, which entails being mindful of how I'm feeling. Things that help are taking photos on a 5km walk, which combines exercise with a pastime I love, and creating my photo-fusions. Though sometimes frustrating and time-consuming, it is definitely therapeutic. Knowing I can create more and better ones means the future is always bright. Also, the feedback about my teaching methods from my art students has been very gratifying, and I finish every session feeling uplifted.
Can you tell us about your next project?
I'm aiming to produce more abstract works. I've done some, but I need to take photos of perhaps simpler, geometric forms to go with photos that highlight shadows and textures.
What would be an ideal holiday?
Any town or city abroad, absolutely anywhere. A Mediterranean cruise in 2016 was a great way to pack a lot of sights and cities into ten days.
Which artists are most inspiring to you?
During my training: Da Vinci, Vermeer, Caravaggio, Singer Sargent and many others. My mixed media art: Larry David, Robert Rauschenberg, Chuck Close. My illustration: David Oxtoby, Drew Struzan.
Many restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes are captured in your works, why are you interest in these places?
When they're open, they have everything; people, often animated or sat quietly, photogenic exteriors, mysterious interiors. They're often very attractive at night. When they're closed, they can look great, perhaps depending on the light, or if there's paint sprayed on the shutter. Closed premises tend to trigger my imagination; places once busy are full of memories, and it's a challenge to invoke that extra dimension in some of my work.