Ovid Osborn Ward grew up in Virginia and spent summers at his grandparents' home on Martha's Vineyard. There he was fascinated by rooms filled with artifacts from around the world, brought home by one of his grandfather's many whale ships.

Inspired by this and nurturing a lifelong fascination with art and design, Mr. Ward began his career in 1968 with a Master's Degree in Industrial Design as an automotive stylist at the Chrysler Corporation. In the early seventies, he moved to San Francisco, and won a competition to redesign the Oakland waterfront. He then returned to the East Coast and worked as a marine architect for Hatteras Yachts. He moved permanently to Martha's Vineyard in 1974 and began bringing his own vision to fruition. He has since independently designed and built 24 one of a kind boats for sports fishing. He also designed and piloted the speed boat that set the outstanding record around Martha's Vineyard.

In 1990, Mr. Ward turned his considerable talent and energy full time to the visual arts. Now a prolific marine artist and sculptor, his eclectic work also includes seascapes and landscapes, architectural detail, and renderings of machines of speed and beauty. Bringing his training in design and impeccable technique to bear on his work, his realistic representations are dynamic and engaging. He brings a unique perspective to each piece, never failing to delight with the surprise of an unexpected focal point or a skewed angle. His deep roots on the vineyard and love of place allows him to capture the particular colors of the Island waters, clouds, and light in his kinetic paintings. The primary medium for the body of his work is acrylic on board. Recently, in conjunction with the Martha's Vineyard Bass and Bluefish Derby, the artist painted a series of the four Derby fish, and ran a limited edition set of prints.

In 1993, using the same techniques which brought him success in marine design, Mr. Ward sculpted the full-scale fluke of a sounding whale, that has been mounted by the harbor in Edgartown. Miniature reproductions in cold cast bronze are also created by the artist.