Barbara Pennington

Barbara graduated from Moore College of Art with a BFA in Illustration in 1970. Then she did two internships. One was creating newspaper ads for the theaters in the round like Westbury Music Fair (owned by Barbara Walters' husband, Shelly Gross). The second was illustrating words for students at Philadelphia College for the Deaf.

She became the art director for an advertising agency, Aitken Kynett. Later she became the art director for Visual Communications, an exhibition company. Here she oversaw the production of the artwork and graphics for exhibits up to 3 stories tall.

When she moved back to this area she saw some wire art and decided that she could do it and love it, so she did. She maintains an art studio here in Indiana on the third floor of 647 Philadelphia Street. This is where she creates her free foam sculptures.

Enamel on copper
$25.00

Enamel on copper wrap
$38.00

Now practicing the art of jewelry, Barb has many pieces here in the gallery's display cases. She manipulates wire into organic, yet often recognizable forms. Music lovers would surely enjoy her pair of treble clef and music note earrings, as well as a necklace with music note charms. She uses the wire not only as a design element, but as a functional piece of the jewelry. For example, the red wire necklace shown above employs beautifully coiled wire as a means to hold the pendant to the strand, and even to clasp the necklace in the back, a unique feature that is sure to garner a lot of attention. Another note about Barb's work is her tactful use of color. Combining earth tones with pops of richer colors, she creates a more dynamic composition. Barb has a multitude of unique hand-crafted items in the gallery for you to choose from. Whether you're planning to give someone a thoughtful and personal gift or simply want to sport a statement piece for yourself, Barb's pieces are a sure to satisfy.

Stop into the Artists Hand Gallery and Espresso Bar to see Barb's work, along with the work of other talented local artists, in person!