Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Barlow
Elizabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in California, but grew up in Salt Lake City, in a house filled with art and surrounded by flower gardens. My father was the late artist Philip Barlow, and after a detour in the performing arts, I followed his inspiration back to painting. Immediately after earning my Master’s degree, I spent some years living in England. I then moved to San Francisco, and continued my arts education at UC Berkeley Extension. I studied drawing and painting with Donald Bradford and others, earning a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Visual Arts. In 2007, I had the great privilege of studying in New York City at the Art Students League. My work is held in private and public collections, including the Monterey Museum of Art, and I am represented by Andra Norris Gallery in Burlingame, CA.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This is such an interesting question, because of course there have been challenges along the way, but in hindsight those “struggles” became the steppingstones that led me to where I am today. The paintings that failed, or the disappointment in not being selected for an exhibition, ultimately made me a better painter. The inner voice that calls us (in my case to be an artist) must be our compass. If we listen to that inner call, and practice tuning out everything else (unhelpful criticism, self-doubt, fear), then our paths will always be true. I think that a true path is always better than a smooth one
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a contemporary still-life artist and I paint large, hyperrealistic oil paintings of flowers. When I lived in San Francisco, I was known for my Portraits in Absentia series of paintings, in which I devised an innovative approach to portraiture. In collaboration with my clients, I composed arrangements of their most meaningful possessions, such as books, shoes, personal treasures. Although I no longer create them, the Portraits in Absentia series was well-received and exhibited often.
When my husband and I moved to Monterey Peninsula in 2016, my work underwent a dramatic transformation. Suddenly immersed in sea air and surrounded by forests and year-round flowers, I was immediately inspired to take nature as my subject. I began to paint large-scale flowers, which led to my current series, Flora Portraits. I see flowers as potent symbols of life force, of strength within fragility, and of the power of re-emergence that lies within all living things. With the support of my daily meditation practice, I have discovered that painting flowers is a transformative practice that allows me to slow down, look deeply, and deepen my reverence for the present moment and all living things.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I think we all learned that life is fragile and precious, and that the world (or our own private universes) can change in an instant. This was a wake-up call to fully embrace every moment of our lives with all of our attention — because this present moment — right now — is all we have and it is fleeting and impermanent. My daily meditation practice and my slow, focused painting practice also support my “paying attention” muscle, and I’ve discovered that the more I look, the more I see — and the more I see, the more I am fully alive..
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elizabethbarlowart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethbarlowartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.barlow2/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethbarlow7525
