Barbara’s Biography

This is my calling. I am living my dream. My studio is in Wheatland, Wyoming. I work here every day and love it.  I knew when I was a child that this was what I should do.  So, I grabbed every opportunity that presented itself for me to learn. I took every art class in junior and senior high school. Fortunately, as I graduated high school a Junior college opened its doors.  I enrolled and the only way to get my art classes was to take a teaching degree.  So, I did that. To pay my way through school, I worked five part time jobs.   One of these was being the artist on a television show.  I would draw a charcoal sketch in three or four minutes while a poet read his poem.   This led to an invitation from a thriving artist group to join their ranks.  Here I had a chance to get more painting workshops.  At this time, I married Mark.   Soon I had a busy toddler boy and a new baby girl.  I became president of the art group, taking my baby girl to the business meetings. I took her along to my outdoor painting workshops.  Soon I had one more baby boy.   It was now that Mark was transferred to Texas to a new job.

The awesome thing was that now we were only thirty miles from West Texas State University.  So, I baby sat for five children for several years to save my money to attend the university.  When I enrolled, I had to take a teaching degree to get my art classes.  So, I did.   I loved every art class.  Two of my instructors were awesome instructors, and fortunately the art program was not stuck in the modern art craze that was sweeping the country.  It was tough running a household with three children, commuting every day, and taking a full load of classes.  Just before my last semester, I had my art show of work. Ten of my paintings were stolen out of this show. Only one of them was recovered. Four of them had been previously sold.  So, I had to use the remainder of my saved college money to repay the buyer for these paintings.  Now I had no money to pay for my last semester.  I got a loan from my friendly banker and was soon receiving my diploma.

To repay the loan I got a teaching job for a year.   And found out that I liked teaching. I especially liked teaching Texas history.  And no wonder, my family and Mark’s family have a fascinating history moving west.  I have found that I enjoy researching our western history and combining that with my painting, I can record some of it for you to enjoy too.

Mark was transferred several more times so keeping a teaching job was out.  But I had an art gallery wanting to handle my work. This was when I became a professional artist. I had much more to learn about my painting and now was my chance.  I had a great base to build on.   Working at my painting every day was when I really began to learn.  And I found out that teaching others was a great way to learn too.  It has been a fine adventure.  I recommend it.  Go after your dream, grab the opportunities that come along, and you are in for one heck of a ride.

Now Mark has passed away, and I am going back to the studio and keep striving to get better.  Who knows, someday, I might make it.  But I know it is in the striving that is the excitement.