Random Order: Paintings by Harriet Moore-Ballard at the Bonfoey Gallery

The Bonfoey Gallery is pleased to present new paintings by Harriet Moore Ballard in an exhibition titled Random Order. This stunning exhibition will be on view in our street level gallery from September 5 through October 4, 2014. An opening reception with the artist will be held at the gallery Friday, September 5, from 5-8 pm.

The inspiration for Harriet Moore Ballard’s paintings comes from two places: The contained indoor home life where she eats, sleeps, and manages her life, and the explosive outdoor life of nature full of everyday experiences. Ballard begins a painting with a drawing, a large shape, or a fragment, then responds to it. After that, there are no expectations of what might happen. The conversation between the indoor and the outdoor have long fascinated Ballard. She uses spatial forms, such as the ever present grid pattern, countered with random splotches of paint, partly representational and partly abstract. This is most apparent in her most recent paintings where she so effortlessly merges everything into one plane. This influence comes from the building of her home in Mexico in the 1990’s, using the structural discipline that comes with designing and building a home countered by the on-the-spot decisions that one must make during construction.

Harriet Moore Ballard, Turquoise Afternoon with grids

Harriet Moore Ballard, Turquoise Afternoon with grids

Harriet Moore Ballard was born in Cleveland, but since a young age has been an avid traveler. She has lived in Turkey, New York City, London, San Miguel de Allende, Provence France, and Stonington Connecticut. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Chatham College (now Chatham University), she moved to New York City where she studied sculpture and drawing at the Arts Students League. After New York, Ballard moved to London for 7 years and it was there that she became interested in the work of Ben Nicholson and Patrick Heron. Through these artists Ballard explored the manipulation of perspective and the creation of ambiguous space by putting differing distances on the same plane, denying deep space.

While earning her BFA from The Cleveland Institute of Art, Ballard spent a semester abroad in the mountains of Provence. It was there that she was exposed to Matisse’s color palette, Braque’s fragmented space and Picasso’s transformative figures. This time in Ballard’s life continues to influence her work to this day. She later earned her MFA from The Insituto de Allende in Mexico in painting. Harriet is widely collected by both private collectors and public institutions.

For more information about Harriet Moore Ballard : Random Order, or upcoming exhibitions, please contact The Bonfoey Gallery, 216.621.0178, or visit the company web site atbonfoey.com.

Bonfoey Gallery

1710 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

bonfoey.com

216.621.0178

Harriet Moore Ballard, Random Order: September 5 – October 4.

Opening reception with the artist 5-8 pm Friday, September 5