Andrew James Ward’s vases are beguiling vessels that bring culture and nature together. When he adorns one of his vases with a dragon motif, it is not just a fang-gnashing monster that you see on the shapely vessel. The mythical creature seems to be composed entirely of gnarled branches and storm-driven waves. Through this painting style, Ward is in fact recalling his childhood in Scotland, where as a boy he spent many hours at the seashore, awestruck by the sea’s mighty vastness and experiencing storms whose thundering power deeply shaped his psyche.

More peaceful in appearance is his series of eight vases highlighting a traditional chrysanthemum motif. Here, Ward has chosen this classic décor to pay homage to the beauty of Chinese porcelain, depicting thick, symmetrically arranged flower umbels and sinuous arabesques. At the same time as he follows this classical approach, Ward also fits into the long line of western artists who have elevated this motif to the level of a concept, from Claude Monet to Andy Warhol. Again and again, it’s the same subject, but one that results in a completely different image each time, depending on the color, the light, the mood. And Ward varies the color combinations from vase to vase, from picture to picture. His chrysanthemum vases are a dialogue conducted in oil between the two worlds of Europe and Asia.