This week’s featured artist is a special one. If you live in or have visited Welland there’s a good chance you’ve seen Ross Beard’s work.

(Note: Choosing which paintings to share has been a very difficult task. Ross created so many amazing pieces of art!)

Ross Beard (March 5th, 1953 – February 8th, 2019) began landscape painting at the age of twelve and later developed his unique style while completing his post-secondary education at Sheridan and Niagara College. Beard began painting full time in 1976. Surrealistic landscapes evoking a mysterious serenity bathed in cool blues with warm crimsons soon made Ross a local favorite. In 1988-89 Ross produces three outstanding murals for Welland’s Festival Of Arts (some of the strongest and most loved work in that project). He also completed a nautical scene for Oshawa’s Downtown Mural Project in 1995. Ross Beard’s paintings blend sentimentality, mystery, nostalgia and romance all within the framework of historical sites that will be very familiar to residents of Welland. His paintings – often his favorite subjects of the Welland Canal, Wainfleet, and Lake Erie – can be found in numerous private collections, as a testament to their beauty and charm.