During Women's History Month the ONU Department of Art and Design features its outstanding graduates on its Facebook. This is one of those features.
Laura Barnhardt Corle (BFA ’77) is one of the first Ohio Northern students to graduate with a BFA degree. Forty years later, she continues to make a living as a professional artist.
“I often tell people who want to pursue art as a career is to be diligent,” she said. “You have to have a fire in your belly and really want It! I’ve read that 10% of those who study art never make a living doing what they were trained to do. I recommend making yourself employable in your field so you can be self-sustaining in your craft. Cover your basis and get a degree in your field. This polishes your ability and readies you for whatever market you are in, so that your art can support both itself and you.
“I am fortunate. I teach and have a studio to work in where there are other artists. Having that contact with other artists is invaluable. Their critiques and comments are invaluable, and the spontaneous feedback inspires even more creativity.”
Thinking back to her undergraduate experience at Ohio Northern University, she said, “That's the best thing I ever did.
“[Ohio Northern art professors] Tom Gordon, John West, Bruce Chesser, and Jim DeVore [were a] group of men who taught me more than they ever realized. But Jim DeVore was the one to whom I owe my interest in watercolors, right down to the choice of colors in my John Pike Palette.”
Laura received her MFA in painting from Bowling Green State University and is currently an adjunct instructor in art at the University of Findlay. She also was an adjunct instructor at Ohio Northern for several years where she taught art appreciation in the nursing completion program at Blanchard Valley Hospital.
In addition to teaching, she is a free-lance artist in the Findlay area, and teaches eight-week watercolor classes in her studio. “As a free-lance professional artist, I do extensive work with watercolors, often spending over 90 hours to complete a photo-realistic painting. I am also interested in printmaking of hand pulled original monoprints, wood engravings, etchings—both copper and zinc plates. Now I am excited to work with non-toxic solar polymer plate etchings on my Griffin Intaglio Press.”
Laura exhibits locally, regionally and nationally. Her work has been accepted in countless juried shows and has won many awards. She also has participated in many art fairs and festivals such as the Ann Arbor Art Fair and the Black Swamp Arts Festival. She is a member of the Findlay Art League and has a studio in the Jones Building in Findlay.
