About Me
Born and educated in Norwich, Barbara studied art in Essex and Devon before graduating in Art History at the University of London. She worked for several years in the Exhibition Department of the Arts Council of Great Britain and at the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank before leaving to set up a document storage and management business with her husband.
Now back in Norfolk, concentrating on her art, much of her work reflects her affinity with the county through subjects that embrace the diverse colours and shapes of the coastline, the ever-
Most recently this has manifested itself in paintings inspired by wild flowers and grasses found in the Norfolk hedgerows, roadside verges, meadows and wasteland. These paintings in acrylic on paper and canvas are gestural and textural produced almost exclusively with the aid of palette knives and other mark making objects. They are the result of time spent studying, photographing and sketching the changing forms and colours of these plants, their simple and complex designs, their interaction with rain, sun and wind. Wild and native, thriving as intended in uncultivated land, these humble plants have been ascribed gloriously descriptive names such as Hawksbeard, Meadow Cranesbill, Rosebay Willowherb, Bird’s Foot Trefoil amongst others.
Looking for elements which provide a more challenging view of the literal world is also an absorbing interest which can be seen in her work such as the shapes and patterns created by shadows and reflections. (See ‘Other Paintings’) Often overlooked, these transient and intangible phenomena can, through distortion and the use of different light sources, offer virtually abstract images. In sea and landscapes, the geometry of intersecting lines such as telegraph wires, ropes, masts etc. are useful elements to add interest and depth to a composition.
In contrast to the calm and tranquility of the seascapes and shadow paintings and to satisfy her enjoyment of painting the human figure, are the bright and vigorous paintings of folk dancers (Figures) in which the action and exuberance of the dancers are caught in a moment of time.
Barbara uses oil, acrylic, watercolour and pastels and has exhibited and sold paintings at the Mall Gallery in London, in solo shows and galleries throughout Norfolk and is a member of the West Norfolk Artists Association, Devon Artists Network and the SAA.
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