Sam Ward, a self-taught artist who specializes in creating ephemeral artworks on concrete using a power washer, has been nicknamed ‘Power Washer Van Gogh’.
Sam Ward’s artistic career was inspired by boredom. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Texas artist bought a box of chalk to keep his two sons busy, but before they could use it to decorate the family driveway in New Braunfels, he had to clean the concrete. It turned out to be a very boring, redundant task, so at one point, Ward started using his power washer to draw some shapes on the concrete. At first, it was just circles and squares, but he quickly realized the artistic potential of the pressure washer, so the next day, when he picked up the tool and his wife asked him if he wanted to finish washing the driveway, he said: “No, I’m gonna draw something.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Photo: Sam Ward/LinkedIn
“Drawing with a pressure washer as a hobby to combat boredom during COVID has grown into something I could have never imagined,” Sam Ward wrote on his website. “I could not be more thankful for the opportunities I have been given, all because I didn’t have the patience to clean my whole driveway one day.”
Photo: Sam Ward/LinkedIn
After posting some of his best artworks on social media, power washer art went viral and Sam Ward started doing collaborations with various brands and entertainment outlets. He has worked with Access Hollywood, Buzzfeed, Freight Harbor and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, just to name a few, and he has thousands of fans on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Photo: Sam Ward/LinkedIn
Creating intricate designs with a power washer is a lot more complicated than it sounds. Sam Ward uses a wide assortment of nozzles- some for broad strokes and others for precise lines – and constantly adjusts the pressure to ensure that he removes just enough dirt from the concrete to achieve the perfect level of shading for his designs.
Photo: Sam Ward/LinkedIn
Some of San Ward’s most famous artworks include depictions of icons like David Bowie and Johnny Cash, fictional characters such as Batman, Darth Vader, and Chuckie, as well as the Statue of Liberty.
Sam Ward isn’t the world’s only power washer artist. A few years back, we also featured Dianna Wood, another self-taught artist who used a power washer to turn her driveway into an artistic canvas.
