Barbara Gothard, artist and educator, was born and
raised in the landlocked agricultural community of Springfield,
Illinois.
Growing up in the middle of lush, green farmland,
Barbara says she first experienced the desert while turning the
pages of National Geographic. Barbara’s first visit to a desert
came through a cultural exchange program. Barbara recalls flying
from the UK to Israel and the image of the blue green waters of the
Mediterranean Sea giving way to the oranges and yellows of the
sand. Through corporate travels, Barbara often visited the west
coast of Africa – Namibia - where she experienced some of the
largest sand dunes in the world, as well as the turbulence of
flying over the Sahara.
Barbara’s experiences with a stateside desert were on
work trips to Palm Springs. Being work trips, there wasn’t much
opportunity to be ‘in’ the desert and really experience
it.
Barbara
was in second grade when her artistic abilities surfaced. The
teacher invited Barbara’s mother in for a conversation about
Barbara's artwork and a few weeks later, Barbara was enrolled in a
Saturday art class. Barbara continued developing her art through
high school and college, majoring in art, as well as earning a
master’s in art and a PhD in Educational
Administration.
As
Barbara became a wife and mother, she decided to set aside the
exhibiting side of her art to focus on her family, while continuing
to draw or paint in her spare time – or on plane rides. A chance
introduction at a conference in Florida found Barbara interviewing
for a corporate job, for which she was hired. Barbara left the
world of education behind and had an amazing corporate career which
has taken her around the world.
Upcoming events (2021-2022) featuring Barbara’s work
and discussions are as follows:
October 16, at Copper Mountain College
October 23, 24 at BOXOHouse
More about
Barbara and her work: