Candice Ward

I was born in Sacramento, but have lived in Texas, SoCal, Las Vegas and Panama City because my dad was in the military. I got a 100% scholarship to UCF, and here I am. I enjoy singing, surfing, big cities, knitting and Thai food. I love meeting new people, so if you ever want to get a cup of coffee or something…

I’ve always been a starry-eyed creature. I tried to do the whole gritty, real and raw thing, but it just wasn’t my scene. I never had to live that life, so why would I make art that did? I am obsessed with achingly beautiful things, both literally and metaphorically. My influences include Art Nouveau, music of all types (but especially funk and classic rock), the Middle Ages, space, the ocean, humor and wit, and various color palette combinations.

My mind is always off in the distance, so my work has to play catch-up. Whether it’s my friends playing a game of telephone in space, the main characters from The Wizard of Oz doing the YMCA, or a half-naked mermaid telling you in French to join her under the sea when you reach the end of the world, I make pieces where fantasy is reality’s next door neighbor.

Like most artists, it’s taken me years to find my groove. I can’t say that this is where I’ll be in a month, a year, five years from now. But I have a plethora of ideas and a great, big imagination, so I think it’ll get me through for the next little while.