Barbara Holt

Creating art is an exciting and arduous pursuit. My work is initially sparked by some striking element in the visible world, sometimes by the harmony of disparate elements, and I try to capture that on a surface.​

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I drew and painted from the figure for many years, and incorporated expressionistic characters into my narrative paintings, largely launched from an internal psychological drama. Throughout it all, I have played with a collage and monoprint, which helps to free up the working process.​

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Since retiring from a career in art education a couple of years back, I have struggled to rediscover my artistic direction. The landscape offers a rich subject, and I've explored small acrylic interpretations of that. Sometimes I work on pastel landscapes, too. I continue to do figure drawing, always with pastel.​

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In an effort to tap into something entirely fresh, I am currently ripping up old life drawings and adding writing and collage to them. Realism is simply not enough. That works is unresolved, and who knows where it will lead!