BLACK SABBATH Drummer BILL WARD Discusses West Coast Premiere Of Fine Art Exhibition (Video)

On August 15 and August 16, Fathom will host the West Coast premiere of estranged BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward's fine art exhibition, "Absence Of Corners", a collection of 15 abstract works created from Ward's drum performance.

Over a year in the making, "Absence Of Corners" is the result of a complex multi-disciplined approach to creating art that combines high-end digital technology with the oldest known musical instrument. The resulting images capture Ward's experimental spirit and translate onto canvas powerful abstract expressions of his music.

Bill stated about this weekend's event: "I'm gonna be holding another art exhibit of 'Absence Of Corners'. And I did one before, about a year or so ago, in Annapolis [Maryland], and it went down really well — it was very successful, I'm very happy to say — and I really enjoyed it."

He continued: "The art show is something where I sit down, [and] I get involved with everybody. So I don't like to sit on some forum, and I don't like to be separated from the people that I'm with. So I like to mingle and hold hands and get involved, and talk about just about any subject."

Ward added: "We're gonna be looking at my artwork that I did with brushes. A lot of people have been very stimulated and very excited by the art exhibition, and the paintings that we achieved last year."

The exhibition opens on August 15 with two artist discussions by Ward in which he details the concepts underlining the artwork and relates personal stories of how each piece is connected to his private or professional life. The first lecture starts at 2 p.m. and the second at 5 p.m. The lectures are free to the public. However, attendance to each lecture is available on a first-come basis and pre-registration is required.

The "Absence Of Corners" ehibition is a special limited engagement and only hangs at Fathom through August 29.

Located in downtown Los Angeles, Fathom exhibits art and photography that uses popular culture as a touchstone in its creation. The gallery is located inside the California Market Center at 110 East 9th Street, Suite CL002, Los Angeles, CA 90079.

For more information, visit www.fathom.gallery.

Ward previously stated about 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 am delighted with the captured expressions — from my head and my heart. Their arrival onto canvas is beautiful."

"From the gallery perspective what excites us about this art is the sense of story," added Francis Coiro, Fathom founder,"Even though art critics don't talk about it much, great art is about a great story. And, honestly, Bill Ward is a great storyteller. If you have the chance to meet Bill and see the work and hear him talk about it, you can feel that linkage between his music, his life and his art. It's extraordinary."

Ward, who has recently engaged in a public war of words with singer Ozzy Osbourne over the reasons why the drummer did not participate in the SABBATH reunion, has released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.