Category Archives: Art Works in Progress

Q: What’s on the easel today?

Work in progress

Work in progress

A:  I am working on a small 20″ x 26″ pastel painting that doesn’t have a title yet.

Comments are welcome!   

Start/Finish of “Colloquium”, soft pastel on sandpaper, 58″ x 38″

Beginning

Beginning

Finished and unsigned

Finished and unsigned

Q: What’s on the easel today?

Work in progress

Work in progress

A:  I am working on a large 38″ x 58″ pastel painting  that depicts figures found years ago in Oaxaca and Mexico City.  This painting doesn’t have a title yet.

Comments are welcome!

Start/Finish of “Palaver,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 26″ x 20″

Beginning

Beginning

Finished and signed

Finished and signed

Comments are welcome!

What’s on the easel today?

Work in progress

Work in progress

A:  I am in the very early stages of a large pastel painting.

Comments are welcome!

Q: What’s on the easel today?

"A Long Goodbye," soft pastel on sandpaper, 26" x 20"

“A Long Goodbye,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 26″ x 20″

A:  I am putting finishing touches on a small pastel painting called, “A Long Goodbye.”  It’s a smaller, cropped version of a larger piece completed in 2013 called, “The Ancestors” (below).

"The Ancestors" in Barbara's studio

“The Ancestors” in Barbara’s studio

Comments are welcome!

Q: What’s on the easel today?

Work in progress

Work in progress

A:  I am continuing work on a large (58″ x 38″)  pastel painting tentatively titled, “Blocked.”

Comments are welcome!

Start/Finish of “Incognito,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 38″ x 58″ image, 50″ x 70″ framed

C-print and preliminary charcoal sketch

C-print and preliminary charcoal sketch

Finished and signed (lower left)

Finished

Comments are welcome!

Start/Finish of “Blind Faith,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 38″ x 58″ image, 50″ x 70″ framed

Beginnings

Beginnings

Finished and signed (lower left)

Finished and signed (lower left)

 

Comments are welcome!

Q: What significance do the folk art figures that you collect during your travels have for you?

Barbara's studio

Barbara’s studio

A:  I am drawn to each figure because it possesses a powerful presence that resonates with me.  I am not sure exactly how or why, but I know each piece I collect has lessons to teach. 

Who made this thing?  How?  Why?  Where?  When?  I feel connected to each object’s creator and curiosity leads me to become a detective and an archaeologist to find out more about them and to figure out how to best use them in my work. 

The best way I can describe it:  after nearly three decades of seeking out, collecting, and using these folk art figures as symbols in my work, the entire process has become a rich personal journey towards gaining greater knowledge and wisdom.

Comments are welcome!