"If my paintings make people happy then that makes me happy."
From Whimsical To Landscape, Jalene Ward’s Art Is Colorful, Moody
Ogden artist Jalene Ward is very talented. She is fond of painting whimsical flowers, cats and birds, and she’ll dabble in the abstract on occasions, but she prefers to paint images from children’s stories. Ward says she used to randomly select images to paint with the challenge to paint whatever it was to its exact detail. Not anymore. "I used be like that, but now I paint for myself. I paint from how I am feeling. My paintings reflect my moods." Ward’s many splendid moods have inspired her to produce an appealing array of work in a variety of mediums that cross from oil landscapes to watercolor portraits. Many of Ward’s acrylic works reveal a happy and cheerful perspective reminiscent of early 1960’s folk art styles, but they are more rooted in Dutch tole painting designs. Except for a few art classes in high school, Ward said she is self-taught. And it helps, she says, that she carries the genes of her great-grandmother, Wilma Ward, who was known as an artist. Ward said her artistic talent is God’s gift to her which has allowed her to give back to the world something that makes people happy. "Ever since I was a kid, I loved to create beautiful things," Ward said, "and no matter what I did in life, no matter how far I traveled, I found I always ended up painting. It is what I have always wanted to do, and it is something I always come back to. It makes me happy and it is also good therapy. I plan on doing it the rest of my life." Ward has illustrated several books including three children books she authored, I Wish I Were, The Bear That Dared To Be Different, and Just Kidding. She has also taught folk art and tole painting classes.Ward says she likes to explore and has many interests, "but painting is my true love." "People seem to like my paintings. They like the bright colors. If my paintings make people happy, then that makes me happy."