Outside the Line

Made by Hand: The Creative Works of Clif O. Ward
Nearly a century of craftsmanship, memory, and creative exploration comes together in works spanning drawing, watercolor, woodcarving, cross-stitch, and more.

MANSFIELD CENTER, CT.  - Line Studio will present an exhibition of work by Connecticut artist and craftsman Clif O. Ward from October 23 through November 1, 2026. The exhibition brings together a deeply personal body of work shaped by Ward’s lifelong appreciation for working with his hands, observing the natural world, and transforming everyday materials into meaningful objects.

Born March 16, 1931, in Rockville, Connecticut, Ward grew up as the eldest of six children in nearby Tolland. His early years were defined by resourcefulness and hard work: tilling the garden, hauling water from the brook, helping dig the family well, watching his father add to their small home, and making slingshots and stilts. Those experiences helped form the practical imagination that would later guide his art.

Ward attended Shenipsit Lake School, Hicks Memorial, and Rockville High School, graduating with the Class of 1949. He worked after school at F.W. Bradley Lumberyard in Rockville and spent summers in Ellington’s tobacco fields. Drawn to woodworking and manufacturing classes, he discovered the satisfaction of shaping, building, and making. Although his graduation requirements prevented him from taking art classes, he pursued a mail-away art course—an early sign of his determination to create.

After high school, Ward married Althea Stearns and was drafted into the Army’s First Cavalry Division during the Korean War, serving from 1949 to 1952. Following basic training at Fort Dix, his service took him by train to California, by ship through Hawaii, and onward to Hokkaido, Japan, before he reached Pusan, South Korea. In Korea’s snowy conditions, he dug paths for trucks, traveled by ski, and used his ingenuity to repair the small heaters used in soldiers’ Quonset huts.

Returning home to Althea and their infant daughter, Linda, Ward later welcomed three sons, Tom, Kenny, and Jeff. From 1951 to 1974, he delivered milk and dairy products for Mountain Dairy throughout surrounding towns. Along his route, he located and purchased parts from two separate vehicles and used them to build a Model T—another example of his hands-on creativity.

From 1974 to 1992, Ward worked in the University of Connecticut Carpentry Shop, repairing furniture and eventually becoming Assistant Foreman. The work strengthened the craftsmanship, patience, and attention to detail that would become hallmarks of his creative practice. He retired in 1992 as furniture replacement increasingly took the place of restoration.

Retirement gave Ward time to fully nurture his creativity. He learned chair caning; carved small wooden sculptures; painted in oil and watercolor; built intricate shelves; stenciled a rocker; and created images through wood burning. His work also includes detailed cross-stitch pieces and a mural of trees painted on his living room wall, where small shelves hold his collection of ceramic birds. After Althea’s death in 2009, Ward married Vera Stearns in Woodstock, Connecticut, in 2010. Vera has continued to encourage his art, including giving him drawing lessons at Line Studio for his 94th birthday in 2025.

At Line Studio, Ward created drawings in graphite, colored pencil, and pen. In 2026, he returned to watercolor, combining it with pen in expressive works that reflect both his steady craftsmanship and lifelong curiosity. Across media, Ward’s art reflects nearly a century spent building, repairing, observing, and making—an honest body of work shaped by curiosity, skill, and the joy of creation.

Exhibition Details
Made by Hand: The Creative Works of Clif O. Ward’s will be on view October 23–November 1, 2026, at Line Studio, 534 Storrs Road, Mansfield Center, Connecticut. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will be held Friday, October 23, from 5–7 p.m., offering visitors an opportunity to meet the artist and learn about his creative journey. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2–5 p.m.

Line Studio presents: Wanderings, Paintings by Jessica Fallis

Connecticut Artist Jessica Fallis Showcases Paintings Inspired by Travel and Poetry March 13-March 22, 2026

Connecticut-based artist and educator Jessica Fallis announces her upcoming solo exhibition at Line Studio. Known for her evocative landscapes and exploration of themes such as light, color, and the cycles of nature, Fallis draws inspiration from poetry and her extensive travels, which have taken her to places in Maine, California, Alaska, and Poland. Her pieces reflect a deep engagement with the natural world and the transformative power of creative exploration.

Jessica Fallis holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in English from the University of Hartford, as well as an MA in English from the University of Vermont. She has exhibited her work in galleries throughout New England, New York, and the East Coast, and currently serves as a full-time high school art teacher in West Hartford, Connecticut. This exhibition represents Fallis’s work from the last 10 years of her painting practice.

The exhibition will take place at Line Studio, located at 534 Storrs Road, Mansfield Center, CT. Visitors can view Fallis’s latest works from March 13 - 22, 2026. An opening reception scheduled for Friday, March 13th from 5–8pm, is open to the public and provides a unique opportunity to engage with the artist and learn about her creative journey. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10am–2pm, and Tuesday through Thursday from 2–5pm.

Steven Normand is a 72-year-old artist who resides in South Windsor, Connecticut. He graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Connecticut in 1975 and worked professionally for more than three decades in Connecticut’s Aerospace industry. Retiring in 2013, he had more time to pursue his passion for the visual arts.

Steven's interest in art began at a young age, inspired by his grandmother in Vermont. She encouraged him to experiment with still life drawing and gifted him a collection of pastels, in lieu of crayons, fostering his creativity. This early exposure was complemented by the influence of his aunt; a commercially successful oil painter and watercolorist whose landscapes and portraits deeply inspired him throughout his youth and into adulthood.

Largely self-taught, Steven began painting with acrylic in the early 1980s. After the birth of his son and daughter, he took a hiatus from painting. In 2006 he intermittently resumed creating art and since 2020, he has broadened his artistic repertoire to include graphite and colored pencils, pen and ink, and watercolors. Landscapes and cityscapes remain his favorite subjects, continuing to captivate his artistic focus.

Steven's wife, Linda, an artist herself, has been his greatest supporter. At her suggestion, they enrolled together in an art class in 2023, where they met instructor Jennifer Jeffreys. This experience marked a significant turning point in Steven’s artistic journey. Jennifer’s mentorship gave him the confidence to explore new techniques and expand his skills, particularly in graphite pencil drawing, which led to his first portrait works.

Watercolor has become Steven’s preferred medium. He finds painting with watercolors to be both therapeutic and personally rewarding. Steven’s work has been shown at the Piedmont Gallery in Somers, CT and took 2nd place at the Manchester Art Association’s show this fall.