Quick
now - think of someone synonymous with Brandywine Valley art - someone who has
been with us since 1976 and has quietly given voice, venue and direction to art
of the Brandywine Valley.

Kuerner,
Scarborough, Sculthorpe?

No,
think pretty, think sparkly.

Barbara
Moore has been director of the Chadds Ford Gallery on Route 1 since 1976.

Born
in Portland, Maine, Moore credits her mother with inspiring her to be a leader.

“Mother
was a survivor” she explained. “When my mother and father divorced, she was
left with three kids to support.”

This
inspiration was something Barbara would need years later when faced with her
own divorce, something she called her “on the job training”.

“Divorce
makes you learn a lot in a hurry when you have to support yourself. I had three
kids to feed and eight acres of grass to mow.”

But
Barbara’s journey to the Chadds Ford Gallery was rather serendipitous.

She
had started in business writing estimates for her former husband who was in the
auto body business. This included working on antique and classic cars.

One
of their clients happened to be Andrew Wyeth.

It
was at the time Wyeth was mounting his first exhibit at the Delaware Art Museum
and Barbara started to learn as she says, “how to make a collectable out of a piece
of paper”.

In
addition she began to really learn about art.

Now,
Barbara says, she can even tell which Brandywine artists paint from
photographs, because you can see the curvature of the lens in their painting.

“You
have to ‘see’ what you are painting” she explained, and credits artist Paul
Scarborough with teaching her to see like an artist.  

In
the 33 years she has been at the gallery, Barbara has watched many local
artists like Scarborough, Karl Kuerner and Judy Antonelli come into their own.

“I
call them ‘my babies’ because you have to guide them a little into what the
public likes”

Barbara
believes Kuerner’s art took a giant leap forward when he switched from oils
into acrylics, and saw Judy Antonelli’s style change after her first trip to
Italy.  

In
addition she noted that Peter Sculthorpe’s style has already been imitated by
many aspiring artists.

 Her proudest accomplishment though has
been the creation of “The Christmas in Miniature” show, which traditionally
opens the first Wednesday in December.

“We
have 60 artists who bring 10 paintings” she said.

“The
artists come down in price and the gallery comes in down in commission.”

Barbara
said the public was “amazed and dazed” at the first Miniatures show.

As
soon as one piece was purchased she would go upstairs and replace it with
another.

Another
of Barbara’s innovations at the gallery, through Dec. 27 is “Sunday with the
Artist.” Scarborough will open the series this Sunday and will demonstrate his
painting technique to the public from 1-3 p.m.  

Asked
who might take over as the leader of the Brandywine tradition since Andrew
Wyeth’s death, she answered,

“We
have not seen all that Jamie Wyeth has done. He has the ability to step outside
the medium of paint and will use almost anything to get the texture he wants.”

Barbara
loves Chadds Ford and said it is, “… a little like the bar in ‘Cheers’ – where
everybody knows you name.”