Wheaton Artist's Painting Selected for Art Show

A bright tulip against a stormy background. Moira Ratchford, a Wheaton artist, was inspired to paint the flower when she saw an image of refugee children playing and running.

“They were full of joy amid devastation,” Ratchford said.

This weekend is the last opportunity to see Ratchford’s painting, “The Resilience of Hope” at the Yellow Barn Art Show in Glen Echo.

The 17th annual member-only juried exhibition opened Dec. 5 and will close Dec. 18. The hours are Saturday and Sunday, 12-5 p.m.

Each member artist could only submit one piece of art, according to Walter Bartman, the founder and director of the Yellow Barn Studio. Only 86 were selected for the show, from about 186 submissions, Bartman said. The top prize was $500, donated by Plaza Art.

Ratchford has lived in Wheaton for over 15 years. At her home, she runs a graphic design business and paints in a small studio.

“All my life I’ve wanted to be painting,” Ratchford said. But when she was younger she lacked the confidence to pursue painting as a profession. In order to support herself, she worked in graphic design.

“But the longer I was without painting, the more unhappy I was,” Ratchford said. When her business ran into problems in the economic downturn, she turned more and more to painting. Now she is trying to paint full time.

Ratchford paints from nature: colorful close-ups of flowers and fruit, and on a rare occasion, figures. “Color is my thing,” she said. “It makes me feel alive.”

Ratchford, who joined the Montgomery Art Association this fall, has five paintings in the in the Wheaton mall.

But where she really wants to see her art is in places that could do with some cheerful brightness, such as medical facilities or windowless cubicles.

“There’s no law that says you have to stare at a blank wall during your work day,” she said.

For more photos of Ratchford's artwork, visit moiraratchford.com

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