Barbara was drawing portraits of the blues singers since she was a child.  Her mother loved Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald and Lady Day and their faces were on the record albums which Barbara copied from.  Barbara was always drawing the many animals that her grandfather and mother bought her, even a jackrabbit who lived in their New York apartment and begged at the refrigerator.  She also drew women dressed in different clothing out of her imagination.      

Barbara grew up in Long Island, New York in a middle class family.  After her advanced studies in business, she went on to work for very important people in the theatrical, legal and business world.   She never stopped painting and taking classes while raising her daughter and being a wife.  Barbara studied with Master Impressionist painter John Plummer Ludlum who was schooled at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York.  His painting "Nativity" was purchasd by the Ohio tourist Center in 1973 for $2.5 million.    

After her divorce and her daughter Claudia was out on her own, Barbara went back to college to complete her Interior Design studies at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA and went on to design kitchens and bathrooms with beautiful hand painted tiles and exotic flooring from all over the world.  She still was unfulfilled as her dream of being a painter was still in her thoughts.   She started studying again and taking many workshops with world renowned artists and also took classes at the Scottsdale Artist School, Taos Institute of Art and the Laguna College of Arts and Design.

Inspired by the emotion inherent in realism and the painterly canvases of Spanish painter of light, Joaquin Sorolla, and Russian impressionist, Sergei Bongart, she went on to study with Master Spanish impressionist Sebastian Capella of the Academy of Arts, Valencia Spain, whose school was in La Jolla, California.  Following her studies with him she continued to hone her skills at the prestigious "Watts Atelier" in San Diego, fashioned after the famous schools in Paris where the students of art studied in the classical style.  Jeffrey Watts, an award winning Master painter and owner of the school, was her teacher.

Barbara works and lives in Laguna Beach, California with her husband Emmitt Lee, two cats, an african grey and black german shepherd.  She goes to sleep with the sound of the ocean.  

Barbara's paintings can be seen at the many shows and festivals that she is juried into and also at her beautiful antique filled studio gallery in Laguna Canyon, Laguna Beach, California.  Her work has been included in numerous national juried exhibitions including the Carmel Art Festival, Cincinnatti Art Club, the OPA Western Regional Exhibition, the American Impressionist Society's Invitational, Laguna Plein Air Painters Assoc.,  Newport Beach Nautical Museum, San Juan Capistrano Mission Barracks Gallery, Borrego Springs Invitational and many many others.  People from many walks of life have Barbara's lovely paintings.  Barbara has won many awards for her paintings.  Just recently she was a semi-finalist at the Newport Beach Nautical Museum.  She also won third place at the San Clemente Art Association for her portrait "Shady Lady."  She was awarded the Award of Distinction" by the American Impressionist Society's 8th National Show by juror C.W. Mundy, and an "Award of Excellence" at the American Impressionist Society's Invitational Summer Salon Show at the prestigious Hilligoss Galleries in Chicago.

Barbara is a member of Laguna Plein Air Association, American Impressionist Society, Southern California Plein Air Painters Association and the San Clemente Art Assoc.