Painter Barbara Oxborrow shares sights from all over the world
Artist Barbara Oxborrow poses inside her studio at The Monarch with her dog Max.
Pet portraits are a new offering by Barbara Oxborrow at Curious Creatives studio inside The Monarch.
These "Veggie Garden" watercolors mounted on handmade wooden frames are depictions of the artist Barbara Oxborrow's first vegetable garden started during the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Shasta," in Prisma colors on handmade paper by Wild Meraki, by artist Barbara Oxborrow.
Goliath heron, a vision from a trip to South Africa, in acrylic by artist Barbara Oxborrow.
Artist Barbara Oxborrow poses with her dog Max, the inspiration for her new commission project pet portraits.
The "Curious Creatives," Barbara Oxborrow and Jan Moyes, are in Studio 11 at The Monarch.
Pet portraits by Barbara Oxborrow are a new offering at Curious Creatives studio at The Monarch.
World traveler and artist Barbara Oxborrow paints to share what she’s seen — African elephants, the Tuscan countryside and, most recently, garden vegetables are portrayed in watercolor on her studio wall.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, she started her first vegetable garden and painted the harvest. “Garden Veggies” is now a series of watercolor portraits, protected by a wax finish and acrylic spray, and placed on foam board in attractive wooden frames.
Oxborrow shares Studio 11 at The Monarch with longtime friend and travel companion Jan Moyes, who together are Curious Creatives because they are “curious travelers who create.”
“I just love to create,” said Oxborrow. “And when I’m painting, I can lose myself.”
Both Oxborrow and Moyes, who had been featured artists in years past at Ogden Art and Gallery 25 art galleries, were the first to join the creative studios at The Monarch.
Oxborrow appreciates the freedom they have to create, showcase their work and be in control of everything they do at their Monarch studio. Now equipped with a new easel, Oxborrow will be spending more time painting inside Studio 11.
A resident of Northern Utah all her life, Oxborrow studied art at Weber State University and has also taken drawing and painting classes from other artists, including some at The Monarch — she learned to use watercolor paper on foam boards for her “Garden Veggies” series from Stephen Henry and loosened up her watercolor style in Joanne Hall’s class.
As an artist who first learned the basics by studying Prisma colors, under the direction of Nola Jorgensen and Merlin Paul, Oxborrow has adjusted and grown her skill in watercolor, now her favorite medium to use. Lori Matlack and Holly Fuller are watercolorists she has followed to refine her style.
Being part of an artist community at The Monarch is a growing experience, Oxborrow said. The creatives give each other tips and share what they know. She also enjoys the opportunities for collaboration; she used handmade paper by Monarch creative Wild Meraki to make her Prisma color (waxy colored pencils) daisy painting.
Another major influence in her art is travel, which Oxborrow continues to do, while adding to her studio offerings. Handmade cards featuring African animals and pet portraits by commission are new.
People, flowers, the Tuscan countryside and African animals are some of Oxborrow’s favorite sights to re-create through her painting, especially elephants. An acrylic painting of a goliath heron is one of her artistic renderings from a trip to South Africa.
“I love to travel and have painted all over the world,” she said.
She looks forward to an upcoming trip to Peru this year, which will inspire her further.
See Oxborrow’s paintings, handmade cards and learn more about pet portraits by visiting Studio 11 at The Monarch during Open Studio Night, markets and other events.