By Malaika Hyera, Touchstone Intern
When you look at Gale Wallar’s art, you aren't just looking at a pretty picture of a mountain or a quiet corner of a city, you are looking at someone trying to make sense of a constantly shifting world. Wallar’s artistic journey is deeply rooted in a lifetime of movement, cultural discovery, and a search for visual harmony. Wallar’s life has been defined by movement from a very young age. Growing up in a military family meant packing up and moving every four years. As an adult, she kept up that exact same lifestyle. Living in different countries like Switzerland, France, Russia, and Indonesia and experiencing completely different cultures, Wallar developed a profound sense of observation. Her exhibition Parallelismus showcases how she channels these personal experiences into stunning compositions. Drawing its name from Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler’s concept of parallelismus—which emphasizes symmetry, repetition, and natural alignment—the exhibition highlights Wallar's fascination with structural geometry. Whether painting city scenes, still lifes, or majestic alpine peaks, Wallar utilizes rigorous diagonals and parallel lines to organize her canvases.
In Blue Shadows, Wallar dives straight into her love for cool tones and atmospheric depth. As a contemporary realist who often favors blues and grays for her landscapes, Wallar uses this piece to explore the quiet, atmospheric shifting of light to carry her landscapes. This particular work was directly inspired by Max Richter’s composition "A Color Field," bridging the gap between auditory rhythm and visual cadence. The painting embodies the quiet contemplation of the afternoon, utilizing structured brushwork and cool tones to evoke a profound sense of peace and spatial depth.
Blue Shadows By Gale Wallar
Mountains aren't just a random subject for Wallar; they are a lifelong obsession. Having spent eight years living in Switzerland—and countless hours hiking, walking, and skiing through places like the Bernese Oberland and Engadin—she has a visceral, personal connection to these landscapes. In Finsterhorn, . The wide, horizontal format emphasizes the sweeping continuity of the mountain ridge, stretching out across the canvas. Rather than just trying to copy a photograph, Wallar distills her own lived memories of these places. She treats the mountain almost like a holy place—a feeling she says she shares with people she has met from all over the world, from Nepal to Kashmir. This piece captures that exact reverence, turning a jagged wall of rock into a composition of pure, spiritual structure.
Finsterhorn By Gale Wallar
Fleischerhorn is featured on a much larger canvas than the previous paintings, allowing for more room for creativity and detail. The piece is full of the diagonals and parallels that define her entire body of work. The sharp angles of the peaks clash and harmonize with the negative spaces around them, creating a rhythmic push-and-pull that draws your eye all over the canvas. It’s a brilliant example of how Wallar takes something wildly chaotic—like the jagged, unpredictable topography of a massive mountain face—and forces it into a state of smooth calm equilibrium.
Fleischerhorn By Gale Wallar
Gale Wallar’s Parallelismus is more than just an art exhibition; it’s a window into how an artist uses creativity to ground herself. Through meticulous brushwork, a masterclass in blue hues, and a deep-seated respect for the natural world, she turns her global travels and memories into physical spaces of peace.
See Parallelismus by Gale Wallar, on view through November 22, 2026 at Touchstone Gallery.