Biography
Born in Liverpool in 1915, the son of a cabinet maker. After attending St. Margaret's School, Ballard won a scholarship to the Liverpool College of Art in 1930. He saw active service in the Middle East during the second World War and returned to join the staff of Liverpool College, where he taught until his retirement - Stuart Sutcliffe (to so-called 'fifth Beatle') and John Lennon were two of his most famous students.

He bought a cottage in North Wales, where he began painting dark and powerful abstract landscapes, rich in tone and texture, such as 'Slate Landscape' featured on this site. Ballard exhibited regularly with Roland, Browse & Delbanco in London and his paintings became increasingly de Stael influenced following a six month sabbatical in Paris in 1957.

Ballard was an influential teacher and prominent northern artist whose work is held in a number of prestigious collections.