JURORS AWARD
"Birth of a Nation"
Wind Cave National Park
Barbara Summers Edwards
Oil, 30" x 20"
After graduating from Utah State University in Illustration and working as a freelance illustrator, Barbara evolved as a fine art, oil and watercolor painter. Commonly portraying figurative imagery, her painterly realistic paintings have received numerous awards as they have been exhibited in international, national, regional and state juried, invitational, group and two person exhibits. Two of her paintings were purchased by The Utah Arts Council as part of the State of Utah's Permanent Collection. One of those, "Gotcha!", hangs in the First Lady of Utah's State Office.
Barbara had the honor of being juried into prestigious International 2002 Arts for the Parks Top 100 Exhibit and she was awarded the Yellowstone National Park Purchase Award and the Arts for the Parks Wildlife Award of Merit. In that same exhibit, in 1996, US Art Magazine selected her painting for its Award of Excellence. Other exhibits and awards include: Oil Painters of America National Exhibit 1995, 2001-2003; Award of Excellence 1995; Regional Award of Excellence 1999; Utah Watercolor Society-Award of Excellence and Inter-mountain Society of Artists-First Place Painting Award. In 1999 Barbara's painting, "When I was Child", was published in the North Light Book, The Best of Portrait Painting.
A native of Idaho, Barbara lives in Smithfield, Utah with her artist husband, Glen.
"My subject matter, color and style are a very personal, intuitive part of who I am since I discovered art at the age of twelve. I enjoy working with figurative imagery although more and more I am examining landscape and often combine the two. I love watching people, especially children as I wish to see the world of wonder anew through their eyes. I am most interested in small everyday moments often missed or seemingly unimportant compared to the social and headline grabbing events of the world.
In a very painterly and vigorous approach I brush in shapes of broken color, defining the form and composition I have in mind. I work mostly from photographs I have taken either on one of many research trips, hire models or both. I build the surface with color and textural subtleties in contrast to the strong light and dark patterns I am fond of using. Thus my love of quilts and flowers inherited from my mother and grandmother.
Although a great admirer of impressionism, I do not consider myself a true impressionist. I enjoy working with the impressions of light and color, but also want to narrate a story or idea to capture a moment of life. My intention is for those who view my work to not only see the color, value, composition and all the other requirements of a good painting but also to share a definite feeling or memory of the timeless human drama represented.
Someone once asked me how I made my paintings appear so powerful and yet at the same time feel so gentle. I'm not sure how to answer the question, but, I consider the question a great compliment."
Paint the Parks100 national touring exhibit is at SouthWind Gallery until July 15, 2010.
Paint the Parks is a national touring exhibition of contemporary representative paintings depicting America’s National Parks. The exhibit is organized by PaintAmerica, a Topeka-based, national non-profit organization, created to support and promote the visual arts. As one of the leading traveling art exhibitions in America, it features the works of many of the country’s most recognized contemporary artists, as well as several talented emerging artists. The exhibit is created annually from an international juried artists’ competition, and includes the highest juror-scored pieces from nearly a thousand total submissions. The show can also be viewed online at www.paintamerica.org
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SouthWindArtGallery.com
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Offer Ends August 15, 2010 _________________________________________________
Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion! Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.
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