By Allison Malafronte
Barbara Berry, Cloudy But Sunny, oil, 9 x 12.
Barbara Berry lives on a small farm in rural Pennsylvania, where a wellspring of floral and pastoral life beckon her outside to paint each season. “Especially at this time of year, when the buds start to open and welcome the warm spring sunlight—there’s just something rapturous about it,” the artist observes. “It’s like every single flower is asking to be celebrated, to have its own portrait.”
Berry’s entré into the fine-art world came after an exit from the opera stage, where she spent several years as a professional soprano in Germany. There she met her husband, an orchestra concert master, and after having children they moved back to the United States and settled in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She enrolled her children in art classes at the Wayne Art Center and, shortly thereafter, began taking classes herself.
Barbara Berry, Blushing, pastel, 9 x 12.
Barbara Berry, Pattipan Flare, oil, 9 x 12.
Following in the footsteps of her mother, who was a professional artist, Berry learned portrait painting in pastel and also started plein-air painting in oil. Today she creates florals and landscapes in both oil and pastel, using an impressionistic style to capture shapes of color and light. She works almost exclusively from life, as “it’s the natural light that brings out the subtleties of each flower,” she says.
The artist is particularly smitten with daffodils and plans to paint all six varieties on her property before spring’s end. She painted the first from that series, AN OFFERING, while sitting beneath a giant 300-year-old oak tree, her tripod easel on its lowest setting, palette knife in hand, face to face with dozens of daffodils. The sight of these flowers in full bloom took her breath away. It’s an experience that has parallels with her life as a singer: “Singing is an emotional expression for me, and so is painting,” she says. “In both cases, I’m expressing what is stirring my heart. I hope it stirs the viewer’s heart as well.” To learn more, visit www.barbaraberryart.com.
Barbara Berry, An Offering, oil, 10 x 10.
Barbara Berry, Gerber Glow II, pastel, 12 x 12.
This article is part of the Welcoming Spring: Floral Paintings to Collect portfolio.