(William) Royden Card was born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada in 1952.  He is an artist known for his woodcuts and his stylized oil paintings of the desert landscape of southwestern Utah. He lives in Provo, Utah. 

Card earned a BFA in painting (1976) and an MFA in painting and sculpture with a minor in design (1979) from Brigham Young University.  He taught printmaking part-time at BYU for 16 years ending in 1996. He also taught intermittently at the University of Utah and Utah Valley State College.

Card’s work was featured at the 1991 Springville Museum of Art’s Spring Salon.  It was also exhibited Kimball Art Center’s Utah Painting in 1994. The Smithsonian Institution Library, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Brigham Young University Museum Collection have his works as part of their permanent collections.

Biographical information on this page was adapted from the Springville Museum of Art.

Card attended Brigham Young University and came to admire other artists as well, such as Dennis Smith and Trevor Southey. Although he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting in 1976, he had already begun to explore a new interest in woodcuts. Jenni Christensen, a fine printmaker and a good friend in the art department, had introduced the technique to Card. Together, they had art parties where they ate and drew with other friends. Card describes Jenni as a person who has always had an interesting and beautiful home. Card found the subjects for his early still lives there in her home. He did not prearrange items but found images that represented a human quality. Jenni's Bookshelf (1984), shows the texture and the light-to-dark contrasts typical of woodcuts, which fascinate Card. However, Card did not get a lot of experience with printmaking until he took advanced design classes. In 1979, he received his Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from B.Y.U..

Royden Card's woodcuts are small glimpses of Utah desert scenes, the texture and quality of the woodcuts echoing the carved landscapes of his subject matter. The prints have an intimate quality, clearly conveying his feeling for the land.

Card has been a part-time faculty member in printmaking at B.Y.U. for the past 16 years. Ironically, his emphasis in his own works has recently shifted to the area of acrylics. He still depicts landscapes of the Utah desert, but has also been painting New Mexican adobe architecture. His architectural portrayals depict portions of a building, a single wall or other element, so the focus is on line, shape, and value contrast. He was recently one of nine finalists for the State of Utah Art Fellowship.

Royden Card has six children, most of whom live in Seattle. They have learned to appreciate the arts and make them a part of their lives because of their father's example. Card admits that he has not influenced them to choose a profession in the arts simply because it is a difficult living. He also admits that it is his stubborn nature that has kept him from becoming anything other than an artist. His work ably demonstrates how his dedication to his talent makes him an effective artist.

To contact this artist email: roydencard@msn.com

Biography Courtesy Springville Museum of Art