About
She was attracted to colours, leaves, and rocks, in the woods and beaches from early childhood. After high school, she studied painting, jewellery, ceramics, and art education, in universities in Texas, Massachusetts, Mexico, and Nigeria, as well as in museum classes and private lessons.
In 1976, she moved with her family to West Africa where the richness of crafts, sculpture, painting and masquerade were highly inspiring. She attended Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly Ile-Ife University), from which she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Ceramics. She taught drawing and design in its Architecture Department. In the course of her studies, she meet and studied the work of such internationally known artists as Nike Davies Okundaye, Omolara Ige, Bruce Onobrakpeya, El Anatsui, and Lamidi Fakeye.
In 1993, she moved with her family to Haifa Israel, where she was responsible for cleaning and restoration ofmore than 600 framed works in the Baha’i Holy Places. She was a team member for numerousInternational Convention and Special Events displays; and exhibited her work in annual Art Shows. In 2001 she began work as a gilder and served for ten years as head of the Gilding Studio, responsible for gilding more than 500 ornaments.
Ms. Barnes currently lives with her husband in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attends advanced painting classes at Pullen Art Centre with Leslie Prunea.
Nigeria Paintings
The use of dark ground in my work during this period was influenced by my thesis supervisor’s research on traditional Yoruba women shrine painters. The women work as a group, painting shrine murals, using both abstract and figural motifs, natural pigments and a dark ground.
I was also influenced in my paintings by the many images throughout Africa, of whirling masquerade costumes lit by firelight. These often incorporated flashes of colour and flowing lines of white dots on a dark ground. Using the rough side of hardboard or natural-dyed burlap, covered with glue, gave a lovely dark and textured surface to work on.
Current Work
Among the inspirational influences of my current work are: the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh; Calligraphic painting, bothtraditional ‘Enso’ circles of Zen Buddhism and contemporary work such as Khaled Al Saai, or Jose Parla. I am fascinated by physics of the universe - the whirling of the cosmos, and in the character and movement of subatomic particles- called Quarks. I frequently refer to the colour work of Odilon Redon, who gave “the lesson” of “his powerlessness to paint anything which is not representative of a state of soul, which does not express some depth of emotion, which does not translate an interior vision."* *Symbolist Art; Edward Lucie-Smith London: Thames & Hudson, p. 78
Paper Collage textured and handmade papers immersed in acrylic paint
My Collage work started from a collection of cards and handmade papers along with a quantity ofclose-out-sale acrylic paint. The papers were cut or torn and dipped into a mixture of acrylic paint. Sometimes silver, gold, or copper paint was added to give a shimmer.
The wet paper is then laid out on Styrofoam or plastic, turning carefully before completely dry to prevent adhesion. Infinite variations of colour and pattern would occur during the drying and stetting of colour - like a glazed pot drawn from the kiln.
Oil Gilding on metal and wood
Working with a diverse team from all over the world, and within the environment of the World Heritage Site on the heights of Mount Carmel, was an exciting, stimulating and creative environment. Each item – gate, lamp, eagle, peacock, or ornament brought new impetus for perfection. Perfecting oneself in gilding is challenging, both in painting and technique. Applying the oil varnish is very exacting - the varnish must be painted on with perfectly even consistency within the design shape. It must then dry to a perfect ‘whistle tack’ and the .005 millimetre gold leaf must lie smoothly without a wrinkle. High humidity, sandstorms, cold, and heat in Israel, complicates the process.