"An artist since my teen years, I've always strived for that special combination of color, light and composition that grabs the viewer's eye and doesn't want to let it go. I find that it's typically simple compositions and familiar subject matter that create a type of visual playground for color and mood in which the viewer's eye jumps right in and enjoys."  

Currently working as a fine artist in Roswell, GA, Barbara paints landscapes and still life in pastel and oil. In recent years, she's especially developed a passion for pastel. Most of her pastel work is painted on a toned, sanded surface using a variety of hard and soft pastels. Scenes from nature throughout the U.S. and in Europe serve as the inspiration for her subject matter.  Each painting typically begins as a small sketch, or several sketches, that she later adapts into an impressionistic interpretation of the original scene. 

"Rarely do I simply copy exactly what I see before me. I strive to create a mood that will coax the viewer's eye to linger and capture the same special feeling that inspired me to create the painting."

Barbara's goal is to create art that can be enjoyed by those who wish to surround their everyday environment with visual inspiration. In her landscapes, she depicts scenes to where she believes most people would like to escape when life gets hectic. In her still life work, she strives to accentuate the simple beauty in simple items. 

Barbara is a Member of Excellence in the Southeastern Pastel Society.

Education

B.A. in Art, The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College),

Trenton, NJ, 1986

Attended the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, 1987

Additional art education from private instructors/workshops:
Juanita Crosby, Firehouse Gallery, Bordentown, NJ, 1980-1984
Lala Mulherin Street, Pinkneyville Art Center, Norcross, GA, 1999-2001
Chris DiDomizio, DiDomizio’s Old World Art, Atlanta, GA, 2002-2003
Susan Ogilvie, Willow Wisp Farms Studio, workshop, Fairview, NC, 2003

Albert Handell/Anita Louise West, Bowen Art Center, Dawsonville, GA, 2006

Professional Art Experience:

Advertising Art Director
Princeton, NJ; New York, NY; and Atlanta, GA
1985 - 1996

Fine Artist
April 2002 - present

Art Instructor

Jan. 2004 - present

Ocee Arts Center, Duluth, GA:  Drawing for Total Beginners (adults), Beginner/Intermediate Drawing (adults), Introduction to Drawing Workshop (adults), Introduction to Pastel Workshop (adults), Beginner Pastel (adults), Composing a Great Drawing or Painting (adults), Drawing & Painting: The Basics (children), Drawing & Beyond for Homeschoolers, (teens)

Sept. 2007 - present

Spruill Center for the Arts, Atlanta, GA:  Beginning Drawing (adults)

Jan. - Oct. 2007

The Art School in Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA:  Drawing for Total Beginners (adults), Beginner Pastel (adults)

Spring/Summer 2006

Roswell Visual Arts Center, Roswell, GA:  Beginner Pastel (adults)

Fall 2006

Roswell Department of Parks & Recreation, East Roswell Park: Drawing for Total Beginners (adults)

Awards

Southeastern Pastel Society 2008 Members Juried Exhibition, June 2008

Merit Award, Honorable Mention Award

Southeastern Pastel Society 2007 Members Juried Exhibition, June 2007

Exceptional Merit Award

Ocee Arts Center Instructors Show, May 2005:  Second Place

Ocee Arts Center Instructors Show, Oct. 2004:  Third Place

Roswell Fine Arts Alliance, “Genesis XI” Juried Member Exhibit, Nov. 2003
Golden Brush Award
 

Atlanta Artists Center, monthly juried exhibit, Oct. 2003: Honorable Mention

Atlanta Artists Center ”Home is Where the Heart Is” juried exhibit, Aug. 2003, Rabun Gap, GA: Honorable Mention

Roswell Fine Arts Alliance "Genesis X" Juried Member Exhibit, Nov. 2002: Honorable Mention

Atlanta Artists Center, monthly juried exhibit, Oct. 2002: First Place

Atlanta Artists Center, monthly juried exhibit, Sept. 2002: Honorable Mention

Juried Exhibits

Southeastern Pastel Society 2008 International Open Juried Exhibition,

Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, June - Aug. 2008

Southeastern Pastel Society 2007 Members Juried Exhibition,

ART Station, Stone Mountain, GA, June - Aug. 2007

Southeastern Pastel Society 2006 International Open Juried Exhibition,

Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA, Aug. - Oct, 2006

Southeastern Pastel Society 2004 International Open Juried Exhibition,

Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA, Aug. - Sept, 2004

Roswell Fine Arts Alliance, “Genesis XI” Juried Member Exhibit, Nov. 2003

Atlanta Artists Center “Home Is Where the Heart Is” Juried Exhibit/Fundraiser,

Rabun Gap, GA, Aug.-Sept. 2003

Atlanta Artists Center Grandview Gallery - Monthly Juried Exhibits:
April 2005 (Dogwood Show), Jan. 2004 (Winners' Circle), Oct. 2003, Jan. 2003 (Winners’ Circle), Nov. 2002, Oct. 2002, Sept., 2002

Bowen Center for the Arts Member Exhibit, Dawsonville, GA, June/July 2003

Southeastern Pastel Society 2003 Juried Members' Exhibition, ART Station,

Stone Mountain, GA, June - Aug. 2003

Dunwoody Fine Art Association Southeastern Juried Exhibition,

Mable House Cultural Center, Mableton, GA, May/June 2003

Bowen Center for the Arts, "Home for the Holidays Festival of the Arts"
Juried Exhibit, Dawsonville, GA, Dec. 2002

Roswell Fine Arts Alliance "Genesis X" Juried Member Exhibit,

Roswell Cultural Arts Center, Nov. 2002

Other Exhibits

Pinckneyville Community Center, Norcross, GA, May - July 2007

Trinity School's "Spotlight on Art" Artists Market, Atlanta, GA, Feb. 2004 & Feb. 2007.

Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts, Pastel Exhibit (by invitation from
exhibit curator), Tallulah Falls, GA, Mar. - May 2003

The Gallery at St. Ed’s, St. Edward Episcopal Church (two-person exhibit),

Feb. - May 2003

Hummingbird Lane Gallery, Dahlonega, GA, Jan. - April 2003

Bowen Center for the Arts , Southeastern Pastel Society Exhibit,
Dawsonville, GA, Oct./Nov. 2002

Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts, Roswell Fine Arts Alliance Exhibit,
Tallulah Falls, GA, Oct./Nov. 2002

Thompson Frame & Gallery, Roswell Fine Arts Alliance exhibits,
Alpharetta, GA, May 2002, July 2002, May/June 2003, Sept./Oct. 2004