I N S I G H T S
Free!*
FREE!* by Barbara Bose Circa 1983: Posed as an attractive American swinging single, I sat down on one of the bouncy couches in the lobby of the timeshare condo, whereupon a “Deluxe Portable Bentley 5” 82 Channel T.V. was to be mine just for visiting and touring the resort after…
On display at Corrick’s in Santa Rosa February – March
On display at Corrick’s — 630 4th Street Santa Rosa, Calfornia February 6 – March 6 A few years ago, a friend snapped a blurry photo of a woman who happened to be looking at him while his taxi zoomed past a busy marketplace in Morocco. I loved this lady’s…
If I Could Turn Back Time
Every painting has a creation story behind it – here’s how this painting slowly unfolded for me… by Barbara Bose I was riding my bike past the home of a dear friend of mine. She is a budding artist who paints abstracts. She must have a different relationship with her…
The Sound of Wings
Much of what transpires in Tree of Lives is an accounting of actual events in my life, though many identities are changed in order to prevent embarrassment. Recently I had the opportunity to revisit a slice of my past at the memorial service for the man the character Rick in…
Thorny Issue
by Barbara Bose This painting is about a dream I had recently. I keep a dream diary under my pillow. I don’t usually remember all of the content of my nightly Netflix, but I usually manage to scribble down what I remember. Even if it’s just a phrase, I…
My First Artist Friend
My First Artist Friend In 1970, when I was a high school sophomore in Stamford, Connecticut, a senior named George spotted me during a fire drill. He had the wildest hair in the school and was an artist. He appeared out of a sea of students and told me…
New Limited Edition Animal Portrait Wall Calendar
Animals calendar, customizable to start on the month of your choosing. Contact me to purchase one for just $25.
Stayin’ Alive
1988: On the night before my new job was to start I decided to clean up my art studio and clear out some old vibrations. It was a nice, clear night in Miami Beach and I was upstairs. During a quiet moment uninterrupted by my two young daughters, I realized…
Needs Must
This is an only slightly retouched photo (believe it or not) . I added the face with my phone stylus, had it printed to canvas, then colorized with oil tints over the image to enhance the contrast. It makes me think about how everything in nature depends on other things…
Livingstone’s Turaco, I Presume
Livingstone’s Turacao, I Presume Every once in a while I get inspired by an image of a beautiful creature that I paint in order to explore its beauty even more. This is a fairly accurate rendition of a photo of a gorgeous, exotic bird that I saw online…
The Great Beauty
16 x 20, oil on canvas by Barbara Bose A friend snapped a blurry photo recently, while zooming on a scooter past a market in Morocco. I wanted to paint this lady’s beautiful gesture, captured during a random, split second connection between total strangers – a tourist passing…
The Universal Language is Wordless
There is a universal language we all speak fluently regardless of time, place, identity, religion, regardless of everything.
Sun Dog
Sun Dog This large painting is from a photo I took of my backyard. I liked the simplicity of the composition and how all four elements are captured in the lower half – reflected sun, water, reflected sky and the ground. The far side of the pool, at the top…
A Prayer
A Prayer This is an oil and Sharpie painting on masonite. It was a fun and challenging surface to paint on, and actually quite forgiving but also scratchable so it is behind a thick piece of plexiglass. The lower half of the painting is borrowed from a special shelf of…
Abandoned
This is my rendition of a beautiful photograph I saw in the New York Times by Dmitry Kokh. I painted it because I related to it, not to sell it or rip off Mr. Kokh. We inhabit our life like we inhabit a house, and abandonment feels wrecked from the…
Requiescat
This is a large oil painting about the importance of my new cat Sammy, who is an oasis of love and life in a time of turmoil. My old cat recently passed away at the age of 18. Requiescat means ‘may she rest in peace.’ <- back
Niobe’s Shadow
Niobe’s Shadow This large oil painting includes a reference in the background to the Greek mythological figure Niobe, whose weeps forever over the loss of her children. Cursed by the gods because of her father’s hubris, the cliff is a real place in Turkey and has a perpetual waterfall spilling…
If Only Life Was Like Photoshop
If only there was a ‘shift+control+alt+delete’ for real life. We could instantly undo our mistakes, misspeaks and misdirections.
A Failure
A small oil painting on a block of wood. A desert landscape with an escaped weather balloon that has gotten away from a lone figure in a hole in the ground clutching at her heart. Emotional symbolism, much? <- back
With You
This is a heavily filtered digital image of a nice moment in the past. It is also a wish for a part of me to always be with my grandson.
Still Kickin’
Still Kickin’ This image is my take on the 9,000 year old Ain Ghazal sculptures – this particular one is displayed at the Louvre in Paris. This was among dozens of similar antiquities unearthed in Jordan when land for a road was excavated, They are amazingly well preserved reed and…