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Wallace Harding
By Judith Chatfield, Sharon

It has been noted recently that there is a reaction against minimal, conceptual and degenerate art. The cycle has swung full circle back to a quest for beauty, especially evident since September 11. Beauty is reassuring, timeless, and inviting. Wallace Harding's work belongs to this category. In her quest for beauty in her surroundings she expresses joy through her choice of colors and light.

Training in Philadelphia and in New York at the Art Students League, she has been painting in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut since 1975.

Wallace gains inspiration from her weekly sketch group for her figure studies. She studies T'ai Chi, which strengthens, relaxes and focuses Wallace for her hours standing before the canvas. T'ai Chi also lends balance and calmness that is expressed in her paintings.

The Hardings' home is located at a bend of the Housatonic River at Cornwall Bridge; Wallace's architect husband, John, has designed the perfect house and studio for the setting, its windows framing beautiful views which inspire her. The house was conceived as a viewing platform for nature. Each morning starts with Wallace and John tracking the light as it moves across the mountain ridge and illuminates the surface of the river. In winter months Wallace retreats to her studio, which also serves as a greenhouse sheltering the flowering plants she loves to paint. In good weather she ventures forth to paint in the company of Joan Jardine, exploring the bounty of beautiful sites in Litchfield and Columbia counties.

Wallace Harding has had solo shows in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York City, and her work is found in collections throughout the U.S., Europe and South America. She is represented by the Lenox Gallery of Fine Arts in Lenox, MA, and at the Fairholme Gallery in Villanova, PA.

She has taught drawing at the Washington Art Association, and painting privately. Her next venue will be at the Norfolk Library, Route 4 in Norfolk from March 3 through April 4, featuring her recent paintings.

In her own words, "Art is an expression of how I feel about the world. I try to capture special moments of beauty, depth, caring and other positive attitudes. I hope people who see my work will be touched or moved in a positive way."