Those moments when you see a splash of light on an object or the violet haze of a foggy morning or the orange glow of a humid, summer sunset - those are Barbara’s inspirations.
Barbara works primarily in oil and pastel. Her paintings are representational and she often works in plein air. She enjoys the freshness and immediacy of working on location. Her feeling is that working outside affords her the opportunity to engage her senses. She says that nature helps to feed the feeling of the painting.
Barbara says, her desire is to capture what she initially had a strong visual and emotional response to as well as to convey in her chosen medium that moment in time. “There is nothing like being able to breathe life into my visual thought with brush and paint.”
Barbara took life drawing classes in the North Jersey Art Center while in high school. She studied fine art at Monmouth College and Fairleigh Dickenson University.
In 1984, Barbara moved to Cancun, Mexico where she resided until 1994. During that time, she owned and operated an interior decorating business. Upon returning to the United States, Barbara, along with her husband and two children, settled in Florida.
Barbara resumed studying oil painting and pastel. She began painting plein air in 2011. Plein air painting beautifully joined her love of painting with her love of the outdoors.
Barbara has participated in a number of invitational shows and paint outs. She has been recognized with awards for her work in both pastel and oil.
See her website at https://www.barbaraortiz.com/
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