We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Barbara Kolo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Barbara below.

Alright, Barbara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Having started out in commercial art and transitioned to fine art, I’ve often thought what if I pursued fine art earlier. It would have given me more time to develop connections and relationships helpful in that field. There’s no doubt there would have been benefits.

However, I also think about what I learned during my commercial art career such as computer graphics, business and management skills. All of these skills are used working as a fine artist and it’s considered an advantage.

I do appreciate that my past experiences have made me the artist I am today and believe things happen for a reason, so the above are just passing thoughts.

Barbara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story starts in the borough of Queens in New York City, where I was born. Art was an interest at an early age. My Aunt, a former fashion illustrator, would set up the kitchen table in her Brooklyn apartment with art supplies and draw with me and my sister. My sister and her circle of friends had an interest in art too. All of this influenced me and lead me to the High School of Art and Design. Later, I attended the School of Visual Arts and received a BFA.

My first career was as an art director for film and television advertising. I worked hard, did very well, and won many awards. After working in New York for several years, I moved to Los Angeles where I art directed and designed movie posters with most of the major film studios. Once I became the Director of Print Advertising for Universal Studios, I realized I’d come a long way from my humble beginnings.

My early passion for fine art never diminished. I stayed current with the art scene, and found time to paint in my busy schedule. Slowly, I developed a body of work and started to exhibit my paintings. Over the period of five years, I changed my career from commercial art to fine art.

My pointillist paintings are inspired the naturally occurring repetitive patterns and shapes in nature. The fractal design of nature is a powerful and intriguing thing. It calms the brain and is that same feeling that many people experience when viewing my work. In my latest series titled “Escape”, I engage the viewer with a strong sense of depth, transition of color and subtle movement.

Over the years, my work has exhibited in many gallery exhibitions on both coasts of the United States and in Europe. I have also had my work represented in many art fairs such as Art.Fair in Cologne Germany, Art Hamptons, Art Market San Francisco, Art Southampton, Art Palm Beach, Art Toronto in Canada, Art Wynwood, Context Art Miami, The Houston Fine Art Fair, Intersect Palm Springs and many others.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is making connections with other people. It’s the moment when you’re standing by your work at an opening reception, and someone engages you in conversation. You realize they totally get the concept of your work and appreciate what you’re doing. They love it and are moved by it. It’s a wonderful rewarding feeling.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

There are two things that come to mind. The first is for cities and towns to provide artists with low cost studio rentals. The rising cost of work space has taken a toll on artists. They’re often pushed to move to less safe areas of a city and to buildings not up to code.

The second way to best support artists is to buy their work. If society better valued collecting art, we’d have a thriving creative ecosystem. It can start on a local level. Go to open studios and art fairs in your community and purchase art. Buy art you like to display it in your home or business. It will enrich your life as well as the artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.barbarakolo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/barbarakolo
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/barbarakolo

Image Credits
John Hogg, Eric Minh Swenson