Barbara Conway

Barbara lives in Lisburn with her family and pets. She paints from home but also currently works part time as an Occupational Therapist, however is striving to make a lifelongdream come true to become a full-time artist. She has always had a love of art and has been known for her talent. In 2009 she took a career break as her family was growing and formed her celticky folk art page, initially producing Celtic designs on fabric. She held a stall, on several occasions in St Georges market, and attended manycraft fairs as well as taking online commissions through her Facebook page. During these precious years at home, Barbara discovered the endless possibilities acrylics offered and continued to learn online about intuitive art and mixed media techniques to create quirky personalised landscapes and portraits, always with a positive, feel good and warm glow approach. Recently she has made a departure from portraiture into landscape painting and has developed her own style incorporating contemporary fine art techniques with her love of intuitive approaches taken from mixed media processes. Barbara’s recent collection is complete and is entitled "Over The Hills", being inspired everyday by the ever-changing view over the Belfast hills from her kitchen window. Taking the theme further she draws from happy memories and trips spent in this wee country and likes to include the of suggestions of buildings and houses as signs of homely human life going on within the landscape as well as a hint of escapism.  Her paintings begin with an intuitive underpainting before sketching and adding layers and colour blocking. The abstract background can peep through and often guides the colour choices for the final piece. Barbara hopes to evoke feelings of happiness and contentment from her art. Barbara has discovered a love for the freedom and joy landscape painting offers and is bursting with ideas and possibilities. She is embracing every second her art journey and can’t wait to learn and develop further, so watch this space!