Barbara Morse

Barbara Morse, 76, of Amherst, NH, died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Friday, November 3, 2023, after a brief, but courageous, encounter with cancer. She was born on April 7, 1947, in Bridgeport, CT, a daughter of the late Philip and Mary (Camerato) Coviello.

Barbara was raised and attended elementary school in both Stratford and Bridgeport before graduating from Notre Dame High School in 1965. She was gifted with a creative mind and tried her hand at various forms of art from a very young age, such as taking ballet lessons or starring in a school play as a flying monkey in the Wizard of Oz. It was clear that she was not Broadway bound, and instead found her true artistic talent in drawing. Around five years old, she got her start by completing a “Draw Me” matchbook cover and continued to draw and create thousands of works of original art over her lifetime.

She attended the Paier College of Art in New Haven, CT and started out as an illustrator working for top publishing houses such as Houghton-Mifflin and periodicals like Yankee Magazine. Feeling creatively limited by the constraints of the commercial art field, she decided to focus on fine arts and create work that truly inspired her. Though she could draw anything from silly pen-and-ink cartoons to still-life oil paintings, her favorite medium was graphite, and she spent most of her career creating masterpieces in her unique “sharp focus” style. She was a master at bringing details to life that astounded viewers; shimmers on glass, wrinkles on hands, or an often added a dash of color as an Easter egg. She cleverly named each piece of art, often with a pun or ironic catch phrase, adding an additional layer of whimsy to her work. She was one of the first female members of the Salmagundi Club in NYC, along with her inclusion in the New Hampshire Art Association and the Copley Society in Boston where she had reached the level of Copley Artist. Her work has been showcased at countless galleries throughout New England including the Granary on Martha’s Vineyard, the Whitney Galleries in Maine, and the Galleries at 30 Main in New Hampshire. In addition to her work being selected for exhibition at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, her work is part of many private collections in both the US and Europe. One of her greatest joys was seeing people enjoy her art.

Beyond her art, she will be most remembered as a wife, a mom, a grammy, and a great friend. She loved to give and never missed a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or shower. She was also known to surprise loved ones with personalized artwork. Her gifts were famously wrapped to perfection with too much tape and robust curled bows that were impossible to get into. And on Christmas, all gifts were from a unique elf name that related to the gift, though she could never remember why by the time they were opened. She loved all things horror and read all of Stephen King’s books multiple times. She was infatuated with sharks and loved snakes. She loved music and was a die-hard Rolling Stones and Def Leppard fan. There was always music blaring from her studio as she worked. She made her famous homemade tomato sauce that has no recipe; she did it just from taste and smell. She had an infectious laugh and would snort when she laughed really hard, which was often. She laughed at everything. It was one of her superpowers.

She is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Alan Morse of Amherst, NH, son Christopher Morse of Concord, NH and daughter, Carol Morse, and her wife Meghan Toler, also of Concord, NH and her granddaughter, Skye Toler-Morse.

In lieu of any other expressions of condolences, the family asks that you please take a moment and enjoy her lasting work at www.barbaramorseart.com.

SERVICES: The family plans to hold a celebration of Barbara’s life and art at a date to be announced.