Barbara's love for art, light and color began when she was a child. Her heartfelt desire to express this love was subsequently nurtured and developed be her artisitc training by many masterful artists. The most influencial teachers came from her studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), the renoun artist Miguell Arguello of Spain and Jennifer Carrington of England who introduced Barbara to the Classical Realism" style of art.

After being brought up as a child around the original paintings of Picasso, Matisse and Braque through her Mother who was an avid art collector, Barbara eventually fell in love with "Realistic Art" in college. After recieving her BFA Degree at UCSC she studied at the art schools of London England and on in Florence Italy where she was personally inspired and guided in the arts by the great "Maestro Pietro Annigoni". After her training in Europe Barbara then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she pursued more classical realism studies with the collegues of Atlelier Lack and with such renowned artist as Stephen Gjertson, Jim Prohl, and Jim Childe with personal counseling by master artist Richard Lack. Barbara then moved to New York City and studied privately with the Spanish master Miguell Arguello whom she studied privately with while both while living in New York City and while attending UCSC. When she moved to Maui Hawaii in 1984, Barbara was greatly influenced by master artist Richard Nelson with whom she studied the Tri-Hue technique of painting. This technique helped Barbara to develop a greater understanding of color and light and evolved her professional career as an artist.

Just after 9-11, Barbara and her newly wed husband Jonathan, curated a successful silent art auction for the American Red Cross on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary. Volunteering they're time to secure donated art by many well-known artists on Maui, they also led another auction for the "Local Disaster Relief Fund" of the American Red Cross of Maui that was hailed as an outstanding success. In 2002, Barbara felt the need to create a means for artists to get together and share in a community of creative endeavors. This heartfelt desire led to her founding of the "Maui Watercolorists Assocation" (MWA) and her service as their president for three years unto the present day. Barbara has subsequently volunteered and served as curator in 5 juried art shows attended by many of Maui's most recognized water-based media artists. She has secured numerous top rate jurors for these exhibitions in a host of the finest reputable art galleries. Barbara also has and continues to coordinate monthly art workshops in watercolor for artists of all ages and levels led by the top watercolorists of Maui and from all over the world. Her goal is to present such programs to all interested participants at the most modest cost for members of the "Maui Watercolorists Association". These special and inspiring programs also reach out to Senior Citizens with speical discounts and are sponsored by Maui Parks and Recreation.