Former BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill ward recently spoke with Ara Harris at Virago Magazine about his new venture in fine art, Absence Of Corners: A Collection Of Rhythm On Canvas. An excerpt is available below:

Ara: When I first heard about your art, I never imagined that rhythm could produce images that were so intricate. I looked at a lot of pieces and I was particularly fascinated with the piece “Hello I Don’t Think We’ve Met (Yet)”. I think I stared at that piece for about 25 minutes. I could see so many pictures within a picture.

Bill Ward: "There has been some manipulation. It’s true, I created a lot of streams and things but there was a lot of camera work that was put into this, as well. So some of the actual faces and figure heads that you can see in there were created by camera imagery. I’m not sure what these guys did, but I think there were some techniques that they might have used to do that. For me I didn’t actually paint those while I’m drumming, I can’t bring about that image. So, does it feel like that’s misleading now? Is that upsetting to hear?"

Ara: No, it’s not upsetting to hear I’m just wondering how you felt when you saw that picture. Did you appreciate that they did that…that they manipulated with the cameras or would you have preferred them to stay more organic?

Bill Ward: "At the time of doing this I really didn’t have a whole lot of information on what the cameras were going to materialize. As we were doing the shoot I would say…'Is everything ok?' I was kind of blind. I was handed different colored sticks and I played as much as I could. I played different beats to create as many shapes as I possibly could and a lot of that shows up on the pictures. However, I didn’t know that there was going to be some camera added work. When I saw it I was like…'Well, that’s interesting. Not quite sure how I feel about that.' But then I was asked to title the pictures and that was when I felt fully involved. Not only as a drummer playing a fury of drum patterns but involved because I was able to look at the pictures and see that there was a lot more happening to me than I was aware of. I’ve been quite emotional lately over issues that were going on. I’ve been sad. A lot of different feelings. So when I looked at the pictures I thought… My God these pictures really seem to actually show my emotions. For instance the piece Grief. I have no idea how that picture came about. And when I looked at it the only thing I could think about was grief because I’ve been grieving terribly for about eighteen months. And I felt such sadness. So, when I looked at it I looked at my grief and that’s when it became personal. That’s when it became vulnerable. That’s when it became much more than playing drums with different types of sticks. It became more than just camera people– three of four different cameras going off, lots of different lighting attitudes what have you. It became more than that. It turned into something really therapeutic, really personal, and really vulnerable."

Click here for the complete interview.

An extensive process from start to finish, Absence Of Corners took nearly a year to complete. Working with Los Angeles art team SceneFour, Ward utilized a sophisticated formula to create the collection’s visuals, using an array of drumsticks and rhythmic accessories that produce light, much like a painter utilizing brushes and oils. The movements featured within the captured rhythms are then studied and developed into abstract artwork that showcases a dimension not normally seen by the human eye. Each piece in this limited-edition collection is then numbered. All are signed by Ward.

Ward on the project: “When I’m working on new ideas, musically much of what’s played is guided by a visual appearance or shape. Since my early childhood, I’ve played drums in visuals as well as sound. When I write, there’s always an image, sometimes a color attached to what’s being created. I’ve never ‘listened’ to bass notes; I ‘feel’ them. The keyboard’s black notes are dark to me and represent many sad emotions. These examples are simple, natural, childlike applications that have stayed with me. When SceneFour approached me about doing this project, it sounded like an adventurous progression. I am delighted with the captured expressions from my head and my heart. Their arrival onto canvas is beautiful.”

To develop the art collection, Ward utilized the expertise of art team SceneFour. Based in Los Angeles, SceneFour specializes in working with music visionaries on the creation of fine artwork. SceneFour’s previous art collaborations have included releases with Chuck D, Bootsy Collins, Page Hamilton, and The RZA. Over the last several years, SceneFour’s focus has been on the development and publishing of rhythm on canvas collections, with Ward’s collection being the largest release to date with a total of 18 different pieces featured and ranging in size (30" x 18" to the epic 85" x 30").

Ward discusses the collection in the following video: