(American, b.1968) Born in Newcastle, New Hampshire October 17, 1968, Christopher Ward's early days were surrounded by unlimited inspiration. He watched as his artistic mother, who had attended Boston's Museum of Fine Arts School, painted portraits of local people. Christopher's father encouraged him to read and was always a pillar of support, encouraging him to further his interests. His grandfather, a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper, took the family to spend summers in Cape Split, Maine, east of Camden.
There, they would enjoy visits to the Farnsworth Museum where the masterful paintings of Maine's exotic shoreline impressed Christopher. The young artist derived inspiration from the ambiance of living on an offshore island and he developed a love of the sea and it's ever changing light. At age nine, Christopher recalls his grandfather allowing him to row the family dory to Sheep Island, a mile away, to develop his confidence in being on the water.

Christopher Ward began painting in watercolor at age six and by his early teens was experimenting with grinding his own pigments. While he practiced at developing his skills, he became enamored with the works of Martin Johnson Heade, Frederick Church and John Singer Sergent. Growing up on the Island of Newcastle, the intrinsic mystique surrounding the noted local artist, Edmund Tarbell, one of "The Boston Ten," gave added impetus to Christopher's enthusiasm to succeed and solidified his commitment to the brush.

It is perhaps a certain primitive power and boldness behind Christopher Ward's work that sets him apart and gives the viewer a vivid glimpse of a fresh interpretation

Christopher Ward is represented by Quester Gallery.