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Linda Barber The Art of Painterly Realism

What exactly is painterly realism you ask? Well, that is how artist Linda Barber of Prince Edward
County describes the work she does. Linda originally hails from the pretty little town of
Marmora, Ontario. Her post secondary studies took her to the east coast where she studied
Fine Art at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, graduating with a degree in printmaking.
After graduating, she moved to the County and has made it her home for more than 30 years
now. Visiting Linda at her studio in her beautiful old Colonial home, you are greeted with the
charm of this historical place (her husband is the fifth generation on this farm), the beauty in
this rural setting and the welcoming bark of their family dog, Benny.

It is here at her home studio that she first began her painting and her framing business; both of
which are still in operation. Although Linda has painted many works with watercolour; her
medium of choice is now acrylic paints and working with a palette knife for added depth and
texture. She describes acrylics as versatile and bold with colour. Her subjects consist of
landscapes, waterscapes and she also enjoys doing commissioned pieces.

Her land and waterscapes depict scenes from Algonquin Park (“there is literally a painting
everywhere you look”), Coe Hill and Bancroft areas, Presquile Provincial Park and, of course, all
over the County. The County really has a little bit of everything for an artist. The rolling hills, the
vast farmers fields, the vineyards and the dramatic shoreline of Lake Ontario. You have
everything from the apple blossoms in spring, the sail boats in the summer to the bright yellow
glow of soybeans in the fall. One of her noted favourite spots is catching a fantastic sunset at
Huycks Point in PEC.

Whenever she can, Linda packs up her portable easel with art supplies, grabs a canvas and
heads outside to paint on location plein aire style. She enjoys the challenges working on site
presents, including the weather, the changing conditions, and the quickly changing light. When
describing her work outdoors, she notes that the eye picks up much more complex detail than a
camera ever seems to replicate. The real challenge here is capturing in the paint that changing
light of the day.

Linda has been experimenting with her palette, working on colour theory. Ever learning as an
artist, she has shared her experience through workshops and teaching art classes at the local
college. Teaching gives back to her as she says she learns from every student and further, it is a
real exercise in organizing her artistic process. Through that process, she says she really pushes
the colour, texture and composition of each piece. This is what she describes as painterly
realism.

Linda’s devotion to her art has her painting everyday either in studio or on location. Her
commissioned work includes everything from historical photographs of the County, to portraits
of your family pet. She has a wonderful gift of bringing something to life on canvas for people.
“I invite the viewer to enter into the painting and make their own emotional connection or
evoke some personal memory.”

Linda’s work can be seen on her website lindabarberart.com, in the Lighthouse Gallery at Presquile
Provincial Park and at The Local Store in Bloomfield. You can find lindabarberart on Instagram, and for fun follow the family dog Bennie at bagelbenny.

©Janet Jarrell 2018

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