Barbara’s work is informed by life experiences and the world around her. She explores themes of trauma, memory and empowerment. Her practice centres on intuitive mark making and experimentation. She makes abstract paintings, mixed media, ceramic and digital art. Reclaimed surfaces and media are used when possible. In the series, “Machine Parts”, Barbara takes inspiration from redundant pieces of technology, such as electrical equipment, used packaging, or ephemera. She is fascinated by the paradox that the technology designed to make our lives “easier”, is contributing to our possible extinction and the destruction of all life on earth.

The recent series, titled “Proof”, is concerned with a reductionist approach and materiality. The work features lines of soft charcoal and broad brushwork. Canvases are placed on the floor. Barbara explores the space with her body, allowing the charcoal and paintbrush to take over. The process is a celebration of the moment. Traumatic experiences have affected the artist’s memory, and she lives in a state of forgetfulness. Making art is an act of proof that she existed, at that time with those materials. It brings her back to herself, to a place of safety and creative possibility.