Barbara Pearman
Art Forms
Mixed media
Biography
I have been painting and drawing since I was 5 years old. Aged 15, I was awarded a Foundation scholarship at the prestigious Hornsey College of Art in London. Having worked in Marketing and Personnel for many years, I finally took the plunge and gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Practice. I also have an HND in Life Drawing. I was determined that the degree would change the course of my life and so I started an art group, Art at the Barn in Hazlemere, which ran for four years and provided students with a wide variety of challenges at each weekly meeting.
I have exhibited widely throughout London and the Southeast but the highlight events were a solo exhibition at the RHS gardens at Wisley in Surrey and the National Trust’s jazz festival at Waddesdon Manor. Over the years I have used various mediums. Oil, acrylic, watercolour, lino print, inks etc., and all have captured my enthusiasm. But a new medium, that of gel press printing, has become my go to method of working. I use the handmade printed papers alongside watercolour and acrylic. I love using vivid jewel-like colours in my work which until recently was dominated by flowers and foliage. I am a self confessed plantaholic and my obsession with gardens and gardening has been a great influence in the past. The change to mixed media has taken me down the ‘still life’ route and each work is inspired by the things that excite me in life. Nature, travelling and books.
Over the last five years I have been a tutor for onboard art classes on Saga, Fred Olsen, and Ambassador cruise lines. I find this very rewarding and the travel to many different places has become a great source of inspiration for my work.
During the covid lockdown I swapped my brushes for a pen and wrote my first novel, Once Upon a Time in Kazimierz, which was published two years ago by Troubador Publishing Ltd. The extended period of isolation was the perfect opportunity to ‘paint with words’.
I have been a keen pilates student for 25 years, an enthusiastic baker and a member of Rock Choir for 15 years. There’s always so much in life to excite and inspire and who knows where each new road will lead!
Contact
E mail: beepearman@hotmail.co.uk