Title
Round
Diptych; oil on birch panel
overall: 20 x 40 inches
Estimated Value Range:
$2,000 - $3,000
Starting bid: $1,000
Bidding increments: $100
As an artist, Judy Barie’s rich abstractions are highlights in the Fowler’s collection. As the Susan and John Turben Director of CVA Galleries at the Chautauqua Institution, Barie has served them as a trusted guide, introducing them to many artists and artworks over the years.
Barie is a contemporary abstract artist known for her layered works of color, gestural marks, and rich patterns on birch panels. Influenced by Brice Marden and Elizabeth Murray, she has spent over 30 years developing a distinct visual language that appears in both individual paintings and series. Barie lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA, and spends her summers in Chautauqua, NY, where she curates contemporary exhibitions at the CVA Galleries at the Chautauqua Institution.
Her paintings are created by mixing and pouring latex and oil paints, embracing both intentional mark-making and spontaneous effects. While the surface is still wet, she incorporates intricate patterns and gestural elements using techniques such as scraping, brushing, rolling, printing, and sanding. The interplay between freeform brushwork and precise detailing creates a dynamic visual tension. Color serves as the unifying thread across her work, reflecting her deep engagement with the material and process.
More:
Judy Barie
Artist Statement
“My paintings are a balance of unforeseen elements and deliberate gestures. I begin by pouring latex and oil paints in layers on birch panels, letting chance play a role in the textures and forms that emerge. While the paint is still wet, I apply color, pattern, and mark-making techniques—scraping, brushing, rolling, printing, and sanding.
I am drawn to the tension between spontaneity and precision: loose brushstrokes collide with tightly rendered patterns, creating a visual contrast meant to engage and intrigue. Color is my primary motif, linking one image to the next. For me, painting is an intimate, tactile practice—a gestural marriage of materials and a celebration of paint itself.”
Biography
Barie earned her BFA from West Virginia University and completed a year-long printmaking residency at Atelier 17 (now Atelier Contrepoint) in Paris, France. She has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows across the U.S., including Kathryn Markel Fine Arts (NYC), Cumberland Gallery (Nashville), and G2 Gallery (Scottsdale). She is represented by Artists Circle Gallery (Bethesda, MD), Bonfoey Gallery (Cleveland, OH), and Zynka Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA).
In addition to her studio practice, Barie consults for Contemporary Craft and Oxford Development in Pittsburgh. Each summer in Chautauqua, NY, she curates and manages exhibitions, supporting artists and engaging with collectors through her leadership at the CVA Galleries.
Collections
Barie’s work is held in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections, including:
Charlotte Printmakers Society (NC)
Hallmark Corporation (Atlanta, GA)
Children’s Museum (Pittsburgh, PA)
General Motors Headquarters (Chicago, IL)
LaGrange Museum (GA)
