Art shaped by attention, gathered materials, and the quiet grace of nature.
Welcome to my online studio—a place for art, writing, and the pursuit of a creative life.
THE WORK
For me, art is the practice of paying attention and responding with curiosity and wonder.
Weathered papers, stitched fabrics, plant-dyed materials, and layered surfaces find their way into my work, their histories still visible.
Click on the images below to see the collections
These works are built from layered materials—paint, plaster, paper, and gathered fragments—that hold texture and history, partially obscuring what came before.
Oil and cold wax paintings built through layered marks, textured surfaces, and subtle shifts of color. Each piece develops gradually, with layers applied, scraped back, and reworked.
These works are both studies and finished pieces, made in layers of paper, water-based paint, and found materials while traveling or working away from the studio.
THE PRACTICE
I have come to believe that attention is our most precious resource.
I think of it as a thread woven through the fabric of our days. Our lives become a record of where that attention has been spent.
To pay attention to what is in front of us is to honor it. It invites curiosity, deepens appreciation. This is the practice: to spend attention on what is meaningful or beautiful. At the very least, we gather more of those moments. At best, we open ourselves to wonder and awe.
This is what draws me into the studio day after day. I create as a way to be astonished—to feel connected to something larger than myself.
In Studio Notes, I write about this practice of creativity and the moments of wonder it reveals.
MEET BARBARA
I am an artist and writer working with paper, paint, cloth, and pigment, drawn to places where the natural world and lived experience meet, and simple materials hold meaning and quiet beauty.
My work begins with attention—working with weathered surfaces, worn paper, and plant-dyed materials, building and reworking layers over time. I make abstract paintings, mixed-media collage, often incorporating fragments of writing that remain visible or are absorbed into the surface.
I live and work in Northern California. When I’m not in the studio, I’m usually outside—working in the garden, hiking the oak-covered trails near my home or along the beach, or out on the water.