BarbaraHavilandfineart.com

About me :

 My name is Barbara Haviland.  I have been creating fine art for over 33 years.  I am mostly a self-taught, raw artist who draws inspiration from the world around me.  My favorite artist is Dalhart Windberg.  I love taking workshops to further my learning.  You can never cease to learn something new.  I usually paint from my photos.  I love bright, bold, rich colors.  I feel satisfied when someone can see the love I have put into the piece that I have created whether it is a landscape, a floral, a portrait, or a seascape. At this stage in my art career, I enjoy painting in Plein Air.  It is both exciting and frustrating.  Light changes, and shadows move, but I love it!  A paint brush is my favorite tool.  You can just about do anything with a brush and some paint.  Painting brings out my passion.  It is like reading a book; you can go anywhere.  It is my escape.  The problems of the world fade away.  For a few moments, it is just me and the canvas.  I feel as though I am meant to create art.  GOD has blessed me in this way.

I create in oils and usually paint on a canvas.  I stretch my own canvas.  Winsor Newton paints are my personal preference.  Everything about painting just makes my day.  I never get bored.  Now that I am retired, I paint every day.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and must get it sketched on a canvas.  I start with a vision and go from there.  It just flows.  Painting fills me with joy.

I am married to Sam, my husband of 46 years.  We have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren.  We have been fortunate enough to travel the country.  I paint wherever we are.  I do not think I could survive without painting.  It is my drug of choice.  I need it.  I have to do it every single day.  I am a sight painter.  I simply paint what I see.  Lately, my art has been taking on a fresh look of looseness, and I like it.  Plein Air is my new thing.  It feels great to create!  Painting is very relaxing and gratifying.  It is freeing.  The world around us is so beautiful.  I try to capture its raw beauty on my canvas.  I love to paint landscapes of the bayou.  They are my favorite!  I also love painting flowers as well as animals.  I paint everything.  If you have a photo, I can paint it.  I am so thankful to be able to paint and create art.