ARTIST STATEMENT

I gravitate toward rendering commonplace objects in quiet settings, seeking to reflect the sense of calmness and awe I find in recognizing beauty in the ordinary. While each painting represents a moment in time, the process of painting allows me the time to study, analyze, and experience each subject.

I lean heavily on color and composition to achieve a certain mood. In my still life paintings, composition, color harmony, and the exploration of space take precedence over the significance of the featured objects. Often it is the arrangement of the items that asks the viewer to consider the importance of order and balance in life. My still life paintings are frequently influenced by 19th century still lifes of the French Post Impressionists and earlier Dutch and Spanish paintings. My landscape paintings attempt to capture a scene from the overwhelming beauty of nature and are inspired by American artists, George Inness, Edward Hopper, and Winslow Homer.

As a representational painter, I work in oil to achieve subtleties in value and color. Oil paint offers rich color depth and allows for subtle variations in color and value, and I appreciate the application for creating light and shadows as well as the endless variety of color.

It is my hope that the viewer looks closer and considers some connection with the quietmood and the possibility of some respite from the sensory overload of modern life.

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BIOGRAPHY

Ms. Walling studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1990 to1994. During that time, she was enrolled in a collaborative program with the University of Pennsylvania, which required all studio work be accomplished at PAFA and all academic work be done at UPenn. With a concentration in art history, Ms. Walling received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1994 and went on to complete graduate work in Museum Studies at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

After interning at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Brandywine River Museum and teaching art history and studio art classes at the community college level, Ms. Walling joined the Noyes Museum of Art as Director of Education and was promoted to Executive Director. She moved to Philadelphia in 2006 and dedicated her work to the city’s art community, initially serving as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Art Alliance, followed by grant writing roles in the various nonprofits.

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EDUCATION

1999
Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA
Seminar in Advanced Theoretical and Critical Studies in the Fine Arts

1996
Master of Arts, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Major Museum Education, cum laude
Thesis: Options and Opportunities: The Evolution of Woman’s Roles in Museums

1994
Bachelor of Fine Art, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
Concentration in Art History, cum laude
Thesis: Women’s Lives in Search of an Author: Susan MacDowell Eakins

1993
Painting Studies, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Critics: Jimmy Leuders, Lou Sloan, and Elizabeth Osborne

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GRANTS/AWARDS

1994
Recipient Media and Design Award for Outstanding Achievement

1993
Recipient Gilbert M. Cantor Memorial Scholarship

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2017 - 2021
Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Grant Officer

2014 - 2016
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA
Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer/Grant Writer

2011 - 2015
The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
Grant Writer Part Time

2010-2013
University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
Consultant

2006 - 2009
Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Executive Director

2000 - 2006
Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ
Executive Director 3 years, Director of Education 3 years

2001 - 2004
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, NJ
Adjunct Faculty, Methods of Teaching Art

EXHIBITION RECORD

2025
Little Luxuries, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

Morris Arboretum, Wings & Wildflowers Installation, Philadelphia, PA

2024
Penn Medicine, Celebration of Art and Life 2024-25, Philadelphia, PA

2023
CFEVA Secret Postcard Fundraiser, Philadelphia, PA

Penn Medicine, Celebration of Art and Life 2023 - 2024, Philadelphia, PA

Penn Medicine, Celebration of Art and Life 2023 - 2024, Cherry Hill, NJ

Sustainable Washington Township, Creative Group Exhibition “Natural Elements”, NJ

2022
Philadelphia Sketch Club, 158th Exhibition of Small Oils, Philadelphia, PA

2018
Frieda for Generations Park(ing) Day Installation, Collaboration, Philadelphia, PA

2017
Burrison Gallery, Two-Person Exhibition, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

2017
Perkins Center for the Arts, Group Exhibition, Moorestown, NJ

2016
Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Crane Old School Studios, Philadelphia, PA

2015
Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Crane Old School Studios, Philadelphia, PA

2013
University City Arts League, Group Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA

1996
University of the Arts, Objects with Invoked Meaning Juried Exhibit, Philadelphia, PA

1995
Windy Bush Gallery, Still Life with Flowers Group Exhibit, New Hope, PA

1994
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Juried Student Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA

1993
Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Art Auction, Philadelphia, PA

1990
Haddon Fortnightly Annual Juried Show, Best of Show, Haddonfield, NJ

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COLLECTIONS

Mr. Charlie Potje, Philadelphia, PA
Mr. Robert Schoenberg, Philadelphia, PA
Ms. Jennifer Downing, Wynmoor, PA
Athlone Interiors, Cherry Hill, NJ
Ms. Elizabeth Zeidman, Philadelphia, PA
Ms. Sue Zacharias, Dallas, TX
Ms. Eleanor Davis, Berwyn, PA
Mr. and Mrs. Arvin Curtis, Little Silver, NJ
Ms. Ann Sorgenti, Haverford, PA
Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Hillyer, Dover, DE
Ms. Emmy vander Zwaag, Bryn Mawr, PA
Mr. and Mrs. Eric DiPadova, Cape May, NJ
Ms. Mary Nixon, Philadelphia, PA Pasta Blitz Restaurant, Cherry Hill, NJ
Penn Medicine, Cherry Hill, NJ
Café Lamberti, Cherry Hill, NJ