| What exactly is painterly realism you ask? Well that is how artist Linda Barber of Prince Edward County (PEC) describes the work she does. Linda originally hails from the pretty little town of Marmora Ontario Canada. Her post-secondary studies took her to the east coast where she studied Fine Art at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, graduating with a degree in printmaking.
After graduating she moved to the County and has made it her home for more than 30 years now. Visiting Linda at her studio in her beautiful old Colonial home, you are greeted with the charm of this historical place (her husband is the fifth generation on this farm), the beauty in this rural setting and the welcoming bark of their family dog, Benny.
It is here at her home studio she first began her painting and her framing business, both of which are still in operation. Although Linda has painted many works with watercolour, her medium of choice is now acrylic paint and working with a palette knife for added depth and texture. She describes acrylics as versatile and bold with colour. Her subjects consist of landscapes and waterscapes, she also enjoys doing commissioned pieces.
Her land and waterscapes depict scenes from Algonquin Park ("There is literally a painting everywhere you look"), Coe Hill and Bancroft areas, Presqu'ile Provincial Park and, of course, all over the County. The latter really has a little bit of everything for an artist! The rolling hills, the vast farmers' fields, the vineyards and the dramatic shoreline of Lake Ontario.
You have everything from the apple blossoms in spring and the sailboats in the summer to the bright yellow glow of soybeans in the fall. One of her noted favourite spots is catching a fantastic sunset at Huycks Point in PEC.
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