Barbara Reade
Barbara Reade lives and paints close to the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. At the heart of Barbara’s work is the endless inspiration that drives her to capture the emotional impact of the natural and urban landscape. Memories of places and experiences reveal themselves through abstraction, colour, mark-making and recurring themes in her artwork. Precise, directional lines intermingle with softer, free-flowing applications of paint, evoking order over chaos, architectural details merging into wildness, opacity next to translucent washes of colour. Barbara’s paintings undergo several transformations along the way, with numerous layers of paint, graphite and wax crayon creating a rich history on the surface. Layers are sanded away to create surprising textures and reveal the underpainting beneath.
Barbara’s artistic career has come full circle after many rewarding years in education and as a retail business owner. She drew constantly as a child, going on to pursue her passion for art by completing her BFA in Illustration at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Barbara continues to hone her skills and develop as an artist, most recently completing Nicholas Wilton’s intensive Art2Life Creative Visionary Program, and currently as an active member of the Art2Life Academy. Barbara is also a member of the Burlington Fine Arts Association.
Barbara’s artistic career has come full circle after many rewarding years in education and as a retail business owner. She drew constantly as a child, going on to pursue her passion for art by completing her BFA in Illustration at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Barbara continues to hone her skills and develop as an artist, most recently completing Nicholas Wilton’s intensive Art2Life Creative Visionary Program, and currently as an active member of the Art2Life Academy. Barbara is also a member of the Burlington Fine Arts Association.