Hi, I’m Ward Ruth, a California native now living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I grew up in Monterey on the Central Coast, where I developed a love for the outdoors. I was particularly drawn to the rugged land of the Ventana Wilderness. Backpacking there I discovered many remote and wild places, such as the titular “Window,” and the Ventana Double Cone. I began carrying a camera with me, so that upon returning I might regale friends and family with tales of exploration via Kodachrome slide presentations.

In the early eighties I enrolled in the Center for the Exploration of Interdisciplinary Arts (CEIA) program at San Francisco State University. There I studied a variety of topics, including photography, art, and graphic design. In an animation class I was introduced to Tony Conrad’s experimental film The Flicker. This short film induced color vibrations by alternating the frequency of just black and white frames. This inspired me to explore creating a work animating oscillations of primary colors. Unfortunately tens of hours of work sweating under the lights of an Oxberry Animation Stand were ruined by a sticky shutter mechanism. A few seconds of the envisioned three minute sequence were salvageable, and this spliced into a loop and accompanied by the music of Tibetan Bells and wafting incense comprised my Senior Project. It was a sufficient result to graduate.

Following graduation I widened the scope of my wilderness perambulations to encompass much of the Sierra high country. Inspired by the images of the renowned adventure photographer Galen Rowell, I worked to develop my photographic eye and technique. I was fortunate to participate in a four day workshop led by Galen in the late eighties. Galen taught that even more than capturing what you see, as a photographer you must learn to capture what you feel. 

Over the years I have had some of my photographs accepted into the annual Yosemite Renaissance exhibition. I was particularly honored when my photo collage “Season of Smoke, the Journey” was selected as Best of Show for Yosemite Renaissance 36. In 2017 I had a solo show at the Lightroom Gallery in Berkeley, documenting my explorations in the Minaret region of the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Now recently retired I’m pursuing that most futile avenue of personal expression, this online blog. My goal with this project is partly to collect notes and images from some of my more noteworthy wilderness adventures and sundry travels. In addition to that I might explore topics related to the artistic explorations of my youth. Maybe (maybe) I’ll even revisit that Senior Project!