Carol Barber

I'm feeling at peace about my painting which is wonderful and unusual. I wrote a new statement to guide me and keep me focused:

I paint to go on a journey of discovery and feel as though my art making is like dreaming with paint. My painting technique is multi-layered and flows from wet paint and its textures into forms and back into surrounding spaces. My intention is for the paintings to convey a thought, emotion or experience and be read like a nonlinear story or dream rather than an exact representation. Therefore the work is open for viewers to also make their own meanings and interpretations.
I enjoy pushing and pulling the layers of paint. I believe this technique of layering and using textures to unify a work derives from my experiences with the computer program Adobe Photoshop. As a graphic designer and computer illustrator I used this program extensively. Painting on textured surfaces gives some physical space for the layers’ existence and the quick drying time of acrylics allows for immediate layering. From 2002 through 2006, I began acrylic paintings without any preconceived idea in mind and was surprised that figures appeared in my work and that I was interested in the passage of time and generations. Now I am bringing my artistic language of emotive color, expressive brush strokes, free flowing paint, textures and layering together to express intangibles like thoughts, feelings and beliefs. I am currently focusing on a subject immersed in its environment or nature and a feeling of freedom from that immersion.