Check Out Barbara Kolo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Kolo

Hi Barbara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Glad that I am having the chance to be interviewed with LA Voyage again. Your readers may remember that my story starts in New York and that I had an interest in art from an early age. For part of my high school years, I attended the High School of Art and Design. Then, received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

My first career was an art director for film and television advertising. I was successful, won awards and worked with almost all the major film studios. Most notably, I was the Director of Print Advertising for Universal Studios.

My passion for painting lead me to my second career as a fine artist. I became part of the LA art community and spent many hours working hard at my art. That includes painting, networking, keeping up with social media and photographing my art. I use all the skills I learned from my commercial art career in my life today and consider it an advantage.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Currently, my struggle is dealing with the aftermath of the fires in Los Angeles. My husband and I live by the fire warning line for the Palisades Fire and we are still processing the events of the last week. We are lucky that we didn’t have to evacuate and we didn’t suffer the loss of our home like many of our friends. The stress, uncertainty, tragic images and smokey air have made this last week hell. Normally, I can continue to paint and work through any challenging time, but with the fires I could not get anything done. Many artists lost their home and their studio and my heart goes out to them. I am confident that Los Angeles will get through this terrible crisis, but it will take time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been painting in a pointillist style for years. My current series “Escape” is inspired by natural forms and has a mediate visual language using dots, circles and lines. The work grows organically, with the resulting symmetry and order happening in the moment. My intent is that the cumulative effect of repeated circular lines dots and the careful use of color and tone create the illusion of depth that takes the viewer into their own private space.

At the moment, I’m most proud of never giving up. Artists have so many challenges. It is a difficult path to take in life. I may have changed directions a few times, but never gave up. I keep moving forward and try to be as optimistic as possible.

The French use the saying “je ne sais quoi” or a quality that’s hard to describe and that can be applied to what makes each artist unique. Many artists work with basic shapes, use a pointillist style or study color theory, but the combination of these things and the way I work is unique to me.

What’s next?
I don’t plan on any big changes. My paintings will be included in a group exhibition titled “Graphic Minimal Abstraction” from February 5th to March 21st at Coastline College in Newport Beach. On February 22nd, there will be a lecture by Peter Frank at 5:00PM and an opening reception from 6-8PM. I’m looking forward to being part of a series of podcasts the gallery is doing called Bounce Podcast Wednesdays on March 5th. There is an audience, so join us at the gallery at 12:15PM. The address is Coastline Art Gallery 1515 Monrovia Ave. Newport Beach, CA 92663.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.barbarakolo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbarakolo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarakolo

Image Credits
Eric Minh Swenson
John J Hogg