Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Mink.
Hi Barbara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My father was a painter, so I ceded that territory early, though I spent many childhood years in Buffalo helping him set up for art shows or accompanying him while sketching. One morning in January 1999, I woke up with an irresistible urge to paint. I ruined a few watercolor pads, took a class in botanical illustration, and found myself painting O’Keefe-like flowers spilling off the paper. I then went through fish, fruit, and figures to prove to myself I could render, then to landscapes and skyscapes- and then got rid of the horizon line and sank into the world of abstract painting.
I’ve taken a few workshops for technique and went from water to oil to acrylics and inks, which I love for their instant quick drying gratification and saturated colors. I work primarily large scale and envy those who have the space and transportation to work on heroic size platforms.
While painting, I’ve held elective office, started a non-profit festival of science and art, and have been teaching MBA’s Management Communication at Cornell.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve been extremely fortunate- having a job in addition to painting means that I have the freedom to explore many directions rather than being confined to the local market’s commercial demands. I also have the space to both paint and show- I paint in my attic studio, and eight years ago, we converted two bays of our backyard garage to a gallery space, which is open first weekend of every month and for special events throughout the year.
The biggest struggle was losing my lawyer-painter stepson to cancer when he was 41. He gave up practicing law in LA to paint, show, and run a gallery. Dan was my go-to person to talk about painting, direction, pricing, everything that colleagues do, but with the ease of dealing with family. I am inspired by him every day.
It’s also why I have such fond associations with LA. We would visit Dan and his family from their first house in the Wilshire area out to North Hollywood, adventure eating downtown and walking the beaches.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint large abstracts in primarily acrylics and inks. I’m known for the organic flow, the interplay of color and texture, and the touch of landscape that characterizes a lot of what I do. I’m most proud of sticking with things- as a self-taught painter, I never learned what I could not or should not do. So everything was a possibility, and I’ve never been afraid to experiment.
I actually find more joy in finding commonality with others rather than being set apart. That’s what led me to reach out to several Instagram painters I was following during the pandemic to see if they wanted to meet on Zoom once a month to talk about what we were doing. That relationship led three of us to start a new online gallery together, Nitro Gallery, as well as continuing our own practice.
What makes you happy?
When the people around me are happy- teaching the mature and thoughtful students, I am lucky enough to get- being with family whether they come to me or I travel to them- selling a painting to someone who is thrilled to buy it seeing the results of efforts made come to fruition. Getting things-the right things- done.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.barbaramink.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/barbaramink
- Facebook: facebook.com/artmink
- Youtube: youtube.com/barbaramink
- Other: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty-research/faculty/bem5
Image Credits
Photo of me in gallery: Rachel Philipson. All the others my own.
