Barbara Downs

I’m thrilled to be a presenter at the 40th Yuma Symposium in February 2019.  I will be discussing my interest in bridging the divide between 2D and 3D, and how I’ve migrated from one to the other (and back and forth again, and again, and again…).

In the 80s and 90s I worked as a draftsperson, back in the days of pencil and paper and t-squares.  At the time, I tried to isolate my studio work from my drafting work.  Now that I’ve had some distance from that job, I’ve begun to appreciate the inherent drafting “brain-wiring” that I acquired and to take advantage of it in my studio work.  It’s become apparent to me how much both my 2D and 3D work owe to my drafting background.

Iceland Island 4 

   Untitled Barn 2

In my presentation, I’ll be talking about this, and about working in mixed-media and multiple mediums, how I think about 2D versus 3D work, and also about the personal origin of my ideas and how a series may develop.

Artifacts 3

Artifacts 4

Artifacts 2

Much of my recent work is based on the Icelandic landscape, a place that I have grown to know and love over the past few years.  That landscape has both a strong visual pull and a strong personal attachment for me, and I will discuss both how and why I do this particular work.

Making My Own Paradise

Making My Own Paradise - Detail

Making My Own Paradise -  Detail

Talisman 8

Barbara working on drawing

Barbara Downs will speak at this year's Yuma Art Symposium in February 2019

For more information on Barbara's work please see her webpage HERE

For more information on Yuma Art Symposium please see webpage HERE