There is a lot of superb contemporary realism landscape paintings being made these days; this article by Allison Malafronte shines light on a gifted individual.
Barbara Coleman (b. 1956) learned from a young age to see beauty even in the midst of painful circumstances. When she was 17 and lost her father unexpectedly, the simple act of studying how light shimmers on rose petals chased away the somber grays of her grief, and in that moment, she understood the true meaning of the word beauty. “Everything appeared beautiful, teeming with life and serenity — a Beauty with a capital ‘B,’” the artist shares.
“The anguish I carried was transformed by this enchanting Beauty. My grief seemed to have expanded my capacity to perceive it. I observed the rose with a deep attention and awareness. I was connected to everything, with no sense of separation. If I can see Beauty, I know everything will be all right.”
Decades later, capturing beauty on canvas is Coleman’s sole purpose. Before becoming a professional painter, she explored and excelled at several related careers. First she was a city planner and urban designer, where she had the opportunity to merge functionality with beauty. She then transitioned into teaching design and drawing as a professor at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, where she shared her knowledge with aspiring artists and architects. For her third career, Coleman joined with her husband to conserve rivers and wetlands across the American West as owners of an ecological restoration nursery and consultancy. This deepened her appreciation of nature further and served as fodder for the creation of landscape paintings she continued showing in galleries, museums, and national exhibitions.
Landscape paintings are now Coleman’s specialty and the source of much admiration for this Albuquerque-based artist. Her immediate surroundings provide all the visual inspiration a painter could hope for, though she often travels for beauty as well. The work illustrated here, “From the Bridge,” found Coleman painting on a pedestrian bridge overlooking the Rio Grande.
“The cars rushing behind me, and occasionally honking, created a cacophony of chaotic background noise to accompany my work,” she recalls. “Oddly, it all faded from my awareness as I became immersed in the scene before me, mesmerized by the flowing river. Painting became a race against time, as the shadows lengthened along the riverbanks, swallowing up the brilliant colors and textures. The light had gone by the time I packed up my gear, but I felt I had captured my experience of being there. One more precious moment in my life.”
Additional Landscape Paintings by Barbara Coleman
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