Barbara  Morse

A Connecticut native receiving her formal art training at The Paire College of Art in New Haven, Barbara is now a long-time resident of New Hampshire. Beginning her career as an illustrator, she had a vision that her drawings could be more dynamic when created as works of fine arts; and she could pursue her passion of working primarily in graphite, while developing a style, she considered unique and challenging, In Sharp Focus. With time the work has become more refined adding hints of color in acrylics to bring attention to a portion that enhances the entire image. As her work became established, she was extended membership in the Salmagundi Club in NYC, the New Hampshire Art Association, and the Copley Society in Boston when she has achieved the level of Copley Artist. She has been represented by galleries throughout New England including the Granary on Martha’s Vineyard and the Whitney in Maine. She has had exhibits of her work throughout the region and her work is included in many private collections. From her home in Amherst, she continues to draw and exhibit new works with her unique and unmistakable detail, that challenge the viewer’s senses and emotions while further allowing them to find their own personal meaning in the work for long lasting enjoyment. Artist Statement By isolating a portion of a scene, an object, or a person; developing a mood, and avoiding elements of realism; I create my image in Sharp Focus. Light and texture is to be as much the subject as the objects themselves, while a fragmented view should provoke thoughts of the whole. The ordinary should become the unexpected when viewed from an unusual setting or perspective. Stimulating the viewer’s thought process to extend beyond the natural order of things should suggest a range of emotions from humor to hope, thus allowing the work to transform to the level of fine art. Working in graphite and sometimes adding a hint of color to attract attention to an area enhancing the entire image, no matter the level of labor intensity, I find joy and satisfaction watching a piece come to life before me. My reward, though, is not having the viewer see the work through my eyes, but their own; creating a personal and long-lasting image to be timelessly viewed and shared. As an artist this is what I challenge myself with on every new piece of work.