Cheryl Ward & Steve Ward

My husband Steven and I developed the Prairie Grass concept while walking the dog in our semi rural town 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Steven is a painter working in acrylics and we were looking for a new format that provided some texture, and three-dimensional feel for an abstract piece. The leaves of a cattail plant are very rigid when dry, long, straight and consistent in size while maintaining individual uniqueness. The reeds provided an excellent surface for painting and allow a unique way to arrange individually painted parts into a large single work of art. We originally provided Prairie Grass in a wide variety of sizes but have settled on two sizes, 18” x 60” and 18” x 18”, that may be hung vertically or horizontally. All artwork is framed in a natural wood or black frame with an off white mat. While each piece is made up of several hundred reeds of various colors, when assembled they simply become red, yellow, blue, green, etc to the viewer. Most pieces are a consistent mix of reeds with no clear pattern, some are specifically arranged to show a pattern with similar colors grouped together. Our art is seasonal in that we can only collect usable reeds in the late fall/early winter. Reeds must dry naturally in the field before they are collected in order for the process to work. Once painted and glued into a wood framework, all artwork is spray varnished to help preserve the reeds. It has been fun to develop and make this artwork and it has been well received by the public and art community since it was introduced at the 2005 One of a Kind Show in Chicago.