Barb always enjoyed art. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, she took several summer student arts and excelled in her high school art classes. Barb went on to get a degree in elementary education and put to use her love of art in many learning activities. While teaching in Denver, Colorado, she met and married her husband Rod. They moved to Oregon, Barb got a master’s degree in education and began teaching on the Oregon coast. When their son Tod was born, Barb stayed at home until he started preschool. During that time, she would do pencil portraits for people. As Tod got older, he would draw alongside his Mom.

 

When Barb returned to teaching, she continued her passion for art by taking many summer arts classes in different mediums. In her free time, she would do portraits and seascapes. She has shown her seascapes in malls and sold them in a small gift shop in Agate Beach. When Barb retired in 2000, she and her husband moved to Roseburg, Oregon. There she met her mentor, Lora Block, who talked her into trying a pastel workshop. Barb now only paints using pastels. She loves all the vibrant colors and the ease of not needing to mix colors or clean brushes. There are always new things to learn and ways to experiment.

 

Barb ’s love of the ocean and rivers is the main focus of many of her paintings, but she also enjoys painting places that she has been. Barb takes photos to inspire her paintings, but feels that her painting should be better than the photo... or why not just keep the photo? She uses her photos for reference and to capture the essence of why she took the shot.

 

In 2000 Barb joined the Pastel Society of Oregon. Every year the society would sponsor juried shows hiring noted professional artists to judge. During these years Barb’s art has won countless awards including two Best of Show in national shows. This has earned her a Master Pastelist standing. As most artists would agree, creating art is part of who we are, and we need to do it.

 

Since the passing of her husband and strong supporter of her art, Barb is feeling more than ever the importance of expression. Her hope is that other people will sense her passion and find enjoyment in her paintings.