Barbara Wolf - Pastel Artist

 Art has always been a passion of mine, albeit sculpting, painting, writing, basket weaving, or dance. My first success was in high school when I entered a bust of a man in the Michigan State Fair and won a blue ribbon award. My travels have given me the opportunity to work with many fine artists who have continued to spark my development as an artist in my own right. I have had art in galleries in Michigan, Wyoming, Washington and California. I have been working with pastels for the past 20 years and I love to play with the vibrant nature of that medium It gives me a feeling of joy as I paint. My background includes not only visual arts but also performance art.

Barbara worked as a teacher for thirty years in the Grand Rapids Public Schools. There she was a Dance-in-School coordinator and teacher, a performing art teacher for Gifted and Talented programs and a Creative Arts Specialist and Teacher. Barbara taught sculpting classes for Community Education in Grand Rapids and in Cheyenne at the Cheyenne Artist Guild. She has taught pastels workshops at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens on two separate occasions. She has taken classes from various artists in Michigan, Washington state, California and Wyoming. A couple of notable teachers in this area are Mike Beeman and Terri Lombardi, a Colorado pastelist. Barbara has been a volunteer at the Cheyenne Civic Center and at the Old West Museum. She loves the theater and was a choreographer at Circle Theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

My inspiration comes from what I see and experience. There is a feeling that my art evokes to the viewer and a chord that resounds within each person's understanding to each piece of art. I enjoy playing with color and bringing the paintings to life. As I'm painting it feels like putting together a sort of puzzle.