Artifacts for a species trying to remember how to belong to the earth.
Ceramic and mixed-media sculpture by Richard Ward.
About the work
Working with clay, minerals, weathered iron and rawhide has taught me to slow down and pay attention. These materials carry histories much older than my own. Working with clay connects me to a human practice stretching back some 30,000 years. Taking materials into our hands and creating something that might remain after us.
Through sculpture, I’m finding my own way to belong to the earth. I hope the work brings a little happiness and sparks curiosity about the materials around us, the histories they carry, and our place among them.
Current series
Holding
Holding explores how we hold ourselves together, and how we are held by the world around us.
Some changes begin within us. Others arrive through circumstances, relationships and forces we cannot control. Over time, what we carry and what carries us become part of who we are.
Workshops
- Earth & FirePrimitive Pottery for Beginners
- Meditation & MudA guided practice in attention, making and letting go
Events
- Coming upSolo Exhibition, Cochise College ExhibitionDouglas, AZ
- Coming upCentral School Remake Show ExhibitionBisbee, AZ
- Coming upPit Fire Rattlesnake, Pit Fire Festival Public projectCochise College, Douglas, AZ
- Coming upArt in the Park Art marketHuachuca Art Association, Sierra Vista, AZ
- Coming upArt State Arizona Markets Art marketTucson, AZ
- Coming upBisbee Art Market Art marketBisbee, AZ
- Coming upVoices of Cochise ExhibitionHenry F. Hauser Museum, Sierra Vista, AZ
- Coming up5 C’s of Arizona ExhibitionVentana Gallery, Tucson, AZ
- Coming upRotica ExhibitionSubspace Gallery, Tucson, AZ
- Coming upFall Market, Tucson Museum of Art Art marketTucson, AZ
- Coming upArt State Arizona Markets Art marketTucson, AZ
- Coming upFeatured Artist, Endeavor Gallery ExhibitionBenson, AZ
- Coming upUpcycling Exhibition opening, Tubac Center for the Arts OpeningJan 2, 2026Tubac, AZ
- Coming upRoche Gallery opening OpeningJan 28, 2026Tucson, AZ
- Coming upTucson Museum of Art Spring Market Art marketFeb 28 to Mar 1, 2026Tucson, AZ
- Coming upPeace Pi Traveling Medicine Show, Day of Peace Art marketMar 14, 2026Phoenix, AZ
- Coming upLa Encantada Fine Art Festival Art marketMar 28 to Mar 29, 2026Tucson, AZ
- Coming upTucson Folk Festival Art marketApr 10 to Apr 12, 2026Tucson, AZ
- Coming upWorld Margarita Championship Art marketJun 6, 2026Tucson, AZ
- Coming upSilver City CLAY Market Art marketJun 20 to Jun 21, 2026Silver City, NM
- Coming upArt in the Park Art marketOct 3 to Oct 4, 2026Huachuca Art Association, Sierra Vista, AZ
- Coming upPatagonia Art Festival Art marketOct 10 to Oct 11, 2026Patagonia, AZ
- On nowPieces of Us: The Art of Resilience and Recovery ExhibitionOct 17 to Nov 6, 2026Catalyst Creative Collective, Tucson, AZDetails
- Coming upRecycle Santa Fe Art Festival Art marketNov 6 to Nov 8, 2026Santa Fe Community Convention Center, Santa Fe, NMDetails
- Coming upRio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival Art marketNov 27 to Nov 29, 2026EXPO New Mexico, Albuquerque, NMDetails
- Coming upTucson Museum of Art Spring Artisans Market Art marketMar 5 to Mar 7, 2027Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZDetails
- Coming upLa Encantada Fine Art Festival Art marketApr 3 to Apr 4, 2027La Encantada, Tucson, AZDetails
STAY IN THE DIRT
Occasional notes from the Dirt Creature studio.
New kiln loads, new work, workshop openings, and first dibs when something interesting crawls out of the fire.