Barbara Ware

“I grew up in the Berkeley hills with a mother whose artistic expression took form in her home and garden. She collected beautiful and unusual things and had wonderful surprises to look at on every surface. Her garden always supplied flowers inside the house and out. And though it wasn't really a rural area, she always maintained pet rats on the mantle and chickens and ducks in the yard, along with the conventional dog and cats. These are the things today that have become my favorite subject matter and have contributed to my artistic inheritance.

I studied art and biology at San Francisco State University and moved to Potter Valley, CA in 1973. I, too, love my home and garden. Living closely with the hills and the trees, the creatures and the plants provide me with my inspiration.

I taught art and vocational skills for the Mendocino County Mental Health Dept. as well as ESL for the College. I also enjoy gardening and kayaking, but most of all, WATERCOLOR! I lived beyond Potter Valley near the Eel River with my husband, Bob for 53 years and only recently moved to Cleone. We're so happy here and so grateful to be a part of this Edgewater family.

There are so many aspects of painting that I love: the beautiful juicy color as it fills the page, the wonderful way the paint mingles on the paper, the intimacy that I enjoy with the subjects that I paint and, of course, the way painting has enhanced the entire way that I see the world around me. I find I usually enjoy painting a close perspective of the humble subjects that fill my life: flowers, squirrels, onions and barns. I strive to communicate peacefulness and beauty through my paintings and hope to provide the viewer with a fresh perspective of a common subject. But in all honesty, I believe that what I enjoy most is the totally engaging state of mind that comes with paying such close attention to the subject, the paper, the paint, the water. When I’m painting I’m completely in the moment. It doesn’t get better than that!”