Barbara Smith
Artist Statement
My art explores the ever changing beauty of the woods, streams, fields and trails of the Catskill Mountains. I often paint plein air to experience the essence and true colors of the landscape that I see in person and then endeavor to bring that life into my art. I especially enjoy the challenge of portraying water, lakes and falls, as well as conveying the power and strength of the rocks and cliffs near water.
I am a self-taught pastel artist now living in Stamford, NY. For 30 years my husband and I owned a small organic dairy farm in the Finger Lakes near Ithaca where we raised a large family. After our children were grown I began focusing on my own art, in charcoal and colored pencil primarily, drawing the fields, trees, and scenes of our farm and taking courses on composition and drawing at Rhode Island School of Design.
Upon retirement from farming we relocated to Stamford, the ancestral home of my father’s family. Moving to the Catskills has been deeply grounding and meaningful to me and this has informed my artwork focusing on the landscapes of this part of the world.
I grew up drawing and painting, and as a preteen lived in Europe where I was exposed to the masterpieces in the great art museums, which had a lasting impact on me. Another major influence comes from my interest in the study of nature, a passion that was ignited while a summer intern at the Audubon Nature Camp in Maine and pursuing my degree in biology at Brown University. I am a gardener, hiker, camper, and birdwatcher all of which contribute to my choice of subject matter.
I have studied pastel with Master Pastelists including Doug Dawson, Karen Margulis, and Aline Ordman, and am currently being mentored by award-winning pastelist Jacob Aguiar. I am a member of the Adirondack Pastel Society, the Pastel Society of Western New York, and the Windham Arts Alliance.