Barb Sohn 

Back to nature is more than a slogan to Perth artist, Barb Sohn. It is a reality.

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In 2015, Barb downsized from her home in Wellington West in Ottawa, and moved to the Perth area to a cedar home at the end of a road in the maple woods. Over the winter, a small studio was crafted on the edge of the woods behind the house.  Truly, a room of her own!

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After a year’s sabbatical from painting, Barb got busy in her new studio when she retired in June, 2016 from her career as a social worker. Now she is living her dream-come-true as a full-time painter with the time to develop her work to its full potential.

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Barb is a landscape artist who specializes in capturing the beauty of water and landscape in local Eastern Ontario, Quebec and Northeast US.  Working in acrylics on canvas, she is showing recent works from a trip to Maine and local areas such as Murphy’s Point Provincial Park. 

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Her paintings are a reflection of her fascination with the interaction between light, colour and pattern in water and landscape. Because of the many layers of design and colour found in water, the possibilities are endless. Barb paints landscapes, but she always come back to water.

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Each painting has two stories. The first one is her personal experience that led her to notice the scene and see the potential for a painting. The second story is the life of the painting when it is transformed from her experience into art.

Colour is important.  She usually begins with an underpainting in a contrasting colour, which provides vibrancy, contrast and continuity to the painting.  The initial blocking is done with purple or red. Then, with the addition of colour, the painting takes on a life of its own.  It seems that the best paintings paint themselves.

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Barb was a member of the West End Studio Tour in Ottawa for 15 years. She is now a member of the Rideau Valley Artist Association, the West Carleton Art Association and the Ontario Plein Air Society.  Barb has work in the Ottawa Art Gallery and has exhibited at various galleries throughout Ottawa and the Gatineau. Her art is in collections all over the world.

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