I have been very fortunate to study under some of the most wonderfully talented and supportive fine art instructors. They have instilled in me the intense desire to draw better, paint color with more emotion, and always hunt and study the changing light.
Dealers Say:
10/10: "Your paintings are beautiful....I want to keep all of them!"
Other Artists Say:
9/10 Juror comments regarding "Counter Reflections, Vasher's Market": "Fresh and original, so pleasing! Nice handling of medium and reflection adds to composition. Keep working from life."
10/10 My favorite quote from a student after taking my Portrait Workshop: "I really learned something today!"
ARTIST STATEMENT: The process of creating art is both pleasurable and challenging, but it is mostly a continuous learning experience. My images are an expression of my soul, inspired by what I see and feel at a particular moment in time. I want to honor the beauty that surrounds us but is often overlooked. I think Georgia O'Keeffe said it best when she said "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for". Painting is no longer an option for me, it has simply become my life's passion.
BIOGRAPHY - b 1961
Barbara Reich was born and raised in Michigan. She began to study drawing and painting in 1990, and since 2001 she has been able to follow her hearts true desire and paint full time. Barbara has been able to study under some of the most wonderfully talented and supportive fine art instructors. They have instilled in her the intense desire to draw better, paint color with more emotion, and always hunt and study the changing light. Barbara is a representational painter. Her paintings are based on strong design principles and they have been called "fresh and original".
Barbara's painting time is divided between studio painting, figurative work, and plein air painting. Each strengthens the other. She is a founding member of Mid-Michigan Plein Air Painters. Soft pastel is Barbara's first love, although she has experience in Oil, Watercolor, and Charcoal. She enjoys that pastel can be used as a quick sketch medium, all the way up to a fully saturated pastel painting. The direct approach used with pastel imparts a sense of immediacy to a painting that is very different from any other medium she has used. Pastel sticks are considered one of the purest forms of pigment used in fine art today, and Barbara usually applies them over a sanded or toothy surface, noting that inspiration is always close at hand.
Specializing in soft pastel, Barbara exhibits in local, regional, and national exhibitions, and was honored in 2012 to be asked to participate as an Artist/Demonstrator for Mullaly's 128 Gallery during Elk Rapids Art Beat, as well as the Summer Solstice & Fall Art Walks in Suttons Bay. Barbara is included in "The Best of Michigan Artist & Artisans" book series and was awarded Third Place in Pastel, and she had two paintings chosen to be included in "The Best of America Pastel Artists, Volume II", which was published at the end of 2009. She was awarded "Outstanding Pastel" in the National Bold Brush Painting Competition in 2009, received multiple National awards in 2010, and is also included in the Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors Member Folio Book published in 2011. Barbara is represented by Hanni Gallery in Harbor Springs, MI, and Mullaly's 128 Gallery in Elk Rapids, MI.
AFFILIATIONS:
Barbara is a member of the Great Lakes Pastel Society, the Pastel Society of the West Coast, Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, the American Impressionist Society, the Glen Arbor Art Association, and the Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
PUBLICATIONS:
* Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Leelanau Press/Dennos Museum, Available 9/2013.
* The Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors "Member Folio" book, 12/10.
* Artists in Pastel Blog, 2/28/11, http://www.artistsinpastel.com/
* Best of America Pastel Artists, Volume II. *Includes "Soft Landing" and "Looking North".
* Informed Collector - e-newsletter dated 11/19/09, Featured "Working in the Cold".
* The Best of Michigan Artist & Artisans, 2006. Awarded Third Place in pastel for "Field of Pheasants".
* Multiple C & G Newspapers
* Gladwin County Record & Beaverton Clarion: 11/06, 12/09, 2/11.
* Strut Magazine
* Romeo Observer
AWARDS
11/12 Honorable Mention, "The Beekeeper", Pastel Society of North Florida National Exhibition.
05/11 Honorable Mention, "Gladwin Garden", Ausable Valley Fine Art Exhibition.
11/10 7th Place, "Back to the Hive, Pastel Society of New Mexico, 19th Annual National Exhibition.
10/10 Honorable Mention, "Turning River", Pastel Society of N Florida, 11th Biennial Nat'l Exhibition.
09/10 Third Place in Drawing, "Kensington in the Fall".
09/10 Third Place in Theme, "Counter Reflections, Vashers Market".
05/10 Honorable Mention, "Fitting the Field".
10/09 Finalist-Outstanding Pastel, "Working in the Cold", Fine Art Views Painting Competition.
09/09 Fav 15%, "The Garden Tender", Fine Art Views Painting Competition.
07/09 Michael Derbyshire Memorial Award, "Beach View, Lake Huron"
08/08 Best of Show, "Looking Back"
02/08 Virginia Thibodeaux Memorial Award for Drawing, "October on the Pere Marquette"
09/07 Third Place, "The Magnolia Tree"
11/06 Awarded "Featured Artist" for Nov/Dec Great Lakes Pastel Society
08/06 Honorable Mention, "Nesting Killdeer"
07/06 Honorable Mention, "October on the Pere Marquette"
06/06 Third Place, "Field of Pheasants"
07/05 First Place, "Evening at Metro Beach"
07/05 Honorable Mention, "Working in the Cold"
08/04 Blue Ribbon, "All Together Now"
09/03 Honorable Mention, "Triple Treat"
02/03 Honorable Mention, "Springtime"
06/02 Honorable Mention, "Northern Forsythia"
CONTACT INFORMATION
Barbara Reich Studio
Traverse City, Michigan.
# 231-421-5572 Remember to sign up for my email Newsletter and subscribe to my RSS Feed if you want to receive Current Event information or if you would like to be one of the first to view new paintings added to this site.
Please note painting prices and availability shown on this website are subject to corrections or changes at any time, as determined by the artist.
Upcoming Events and Exhibits
Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Dennos Museum 10/12/2013-12/31/2013 Reception: 10/12/2013 (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm)
"Relaxing in the Sand", Pastel, 11 x 14.
This painting was chosen to be included in the "Art of the Sleeping Bear Dunes" Exhibition and Fine Art Publication. Release date of the book and availability will be added as soon as it is confirmed.
Upcoming Workshops
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