artist statement
Botanical Series: Barbara Libby-Steinmann
Creating art is the friend I always return to, to find solace, passion, peace and joy. Choosing the career path of visual arts education and artist has brought many wonderful as well as challenging experiences into my life. I find myself always changing, growing and learning through the arts.
In June 2021, I suffered a brain injury. Little did I know about the struggles and pains I would be facing in the months of my recovery. I turned to art, finding ways to calm my overstimulated nervous system and discovered a silver lining of my brain injury. My creativity became super enhanced and sharp, letting me “see” entire concepts, images and ideas from beginning to finish. My heightened creativity helps me invent solutions to tricky problems that continue to challenge my everyday life.
As a result, my painting process, style and media has changed. Early on in my recovery, setting up a pallet of oil paints like I used to for my landscape painting was not possible. For several months my brain was overwhelmed by color so I gravitated towards drawing small black and white images in ink. It was then when I noticed I no longer needed a preliminary sketch to get me started. As I drew repetitive lines and patterns my brain fog and pain started to ease. Posting these drawings and updates of my recovery on social media channels connected me to a virtual community of brain injury warriors.
Like art, nature is an important element in my life. The wildflowers and nature scenes I admire on my bike rides and walks are my inspiration. One day during my healing journey, I picked up a large brush and a beautiful handbound sketchbook with Japanese mulberry paper pages. My brush flowed in broad strokes over the delicate textured paper with the composition of a flower emerging before my eyes! The gouache and ink spread and sank into the paper leaving marks I was no longer able to alter. Compared to oil painting techniques, I realized this was an unforgiving way to paint. As I continued to experiment painting on the mulberry paper, I discovered a connection to how my brain was healing: learning to accept the things I had no control over.
With acrylic mat medium I mount the mulberry paper on birch wood panels adding a final protective coat of medium over the finished painting. This creates a beautiful, contemporary look where framing of the artwork is not necessary. This new series has been paving the way for my healing to take place through the arts, integrating botanical philosophies and raising awareness for other survivors.
Bio:
Barbara Libby-Steinmann (she,her) lives with her husband in San Geronimo, California. She was born and raised in Switzerland. Barbara, holds a BFA in Visual Merchandising and Illustration and a Visual Arts teaching credential. She has been working in visual arts education for two decades and has received county and statewide recognition for her teaching excellence and curriculum design. Her artwork has been published in editorial and community events and her paintings and drawings have been cherished by private collectors in the United States, Canada and Switzerland. Barbara accepts commissions, for a free consultation, please reach out to her at blibbysteinmann@gmail.com
Creating art is the friend I always return to, to find solace, passion, peace and joy. Choosing the career path of visual arts education and artist has brought many wonderful as well as challenging experiences into my life. I find myself always changing, growing and learning through the arts.
In June 2021, I suffered a brain injury. Little did I know about the struggles and pains I would be facing in the months of my recovery. I turned to art, finding ways to calm my overstimulated nervous system and discovered a silver lining of my brain injury. My creativity became super enhanced and sharp, letting me “see” entire concepts, images and ideas from beginning to finish. My heightened creativity helps me invent solutions to tricky problems that continue to challenge my everyday life.
As a result, my painting process, style and media has changed. Early on in my recovery, setting up a pallet of oil paints like I used to for my landscape painting was not possible. For several months my brain was overwhelmed by color so I gravitated towards drawing small black and white images in ink. It was then when I noticed I no longer needed a preliminary sketch to get me started. As I drew repetitive lines and patterns my brain fog and pain started to ease. Posting these drawings and updates of my recovery on social media channels connected me to a virtual community of brain injury warriors.
Like art, nature is an important element in my life. The wildflowers and nature scenes I admire on my bike rides and walks are my inspiration. One day during my healing journey, I picked up a large brush and a beautiful handbound sketchbook with Japanese mulberry paper pages. My brush flowed in broad strokes over the delicate textured paper with the composition of a flower emerging before my eyes! The gouache and ink spread and sank into the paper leaving marks I was no longer able to alter. Compared to oil painting techniques, I realized this was an unforgiving way to paint. As I continued to experiment painting on the mulberry paper, I discovered a connection to how my brain was healing: learning to accept the things I had no control over.
With acrylic mat medium I mount the mulberry paper on birch wood panels adding a final protective coat of medium over the finished painting. This creates a beautiful, contemporary look where framing of the artwork is not necessary. This new series has been paving the way for my healing to take place through the arts, integrating botanical philosophies and raising awareness for other survivors.
Bio:
Barbara Libby-Steinmann (she,her) lives with her husband in San Geronimo, California. She was born and raised in Switzerland. Barbara, holds a BFA in Visual Merchandising and Illustration and a Visual Arts teaching credential. She has been working in visual arts education for two decades and has received county and statewide recognition for her teaching excellence and curriculum design. Her artwork has been published in editorial and community events and her paintings and drawings have been cherished by private collectors in the United States, Canada and Switzerland. Barbara accepts commissions, for a free consultation, please reach out to her at blibbysteinmann@gmail.com