Wallace, Barb

Thanks to a love of nature, I majored in Biology. But my lifelong love of drawing led, eventually, to a degree in Fine Art. I think the two disciplines go hand-in-hand, because they both rely on the powers of observation and an appreciation of the world around you.

The world around me is a revitalized Century Farm that has been in my husband’s family since 1848. It provides an infinite source of subject matter: from the beauty of a fresh-mown hayfield to an eighty year-old sink left abandoned in the farmhouse kitchen. The weather and the weathered objects I discover are constantly changing.

I have enjoyed working in a variety of mediums including oil, watercolor, graphite, printmaking and pastel. I try to reveal form through texture, contrast and cast shadows. To date, I have been most proficient in pastel, which satisfies my love of drawing. As I blend and stroke the painting surface, I become reacquainted with the lovely elements that initially drew me to the scene. I am essentially a draftswoman and a realist; my landscapes are paintings that have been drawn and the still lifes are drawings that have been painted. Looking forward, I have a desire to create works that are more painterly and expressive, and to experiment with pure color and brush stroke.