Skybridge: Barb Stahl

Compared to many of her previous paintings, often characterized with seemingly chaotic textures, drips, brushstrokes, and colors, Skybridge represents a moment of pause and reflection; a breath of calm in the middle of the storm. The Skybridge series, created over a period of six months, is the first group of paintings Stahl has created with the intention that they be viewed together in a particular order to allow the viewer move through this achievement of calm with her. It portrays a reflection of the inner self: how we process and compartmentalize, how we meditate on our daily lives, how we release internalized anxiety, how, in the end, we find ourselves inside.

Biography
Born in Vincennes, Indiana, Stahl moved to Indianapolis in 1992 after finishing her MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania. While earning her BFA in painting from IU Bloomington, she received an Honors Division Research Grant to study in Florence, Italy. In addition to being an accomplished fine artist, Stahl is also the founder and owner of Stahl Studios Inc., which specializes, in commercial and public art, through which she is perhaps best-known for the larger-than-life Pacers schedule wall near Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Her large-scale mural work always begins with a grid, enabling her to scale the original, smaller mural design to the massive size required for the wall. After many years, the concept of the grid has come to play an important part in her more abstract fine art pieces.