Check out Barbi Niblick’s Artwork

That challenge tumbled over and over in my mind, and as I contemplated the question, I realized the only reason I ever had for not painting was simply that I thought I couldn’t. The next day I made my first trip to Arizona Art Supply. I was overwhelmed by all of the available supplies and had no idea where to start. I thought that in order to be a good artist there had to be some magical formula that, if followed precisely using particular brands of paint and specialized brushes, would result in easy masterpieces. I went home that day with just a starter kit of acrylic paint, a canvas, and a few cheap brushes.

Have you ever looked back on your past self and just shook your head thinking – wow, that was silly? I do that a lot.

Despite all of the time I spent laboring over “the right” brushes, I painted my first piece entirely with my hands. It was interesting to connect with creating in that way, and I really believe I fell in love with painting because of that experience. There was just something enchanting about engaging tactile sense simultaneously with sight that really engulfed me, and at that moment, I felt like I became part of the painting.

I wasn’t able to continue school after that semester, so my creative education was largely self-directed until late spring of 2018 when I met my mentor and now friend, Jed. He has been my Sensei of All Things Art, and his humble patience coupled with his ability to answer the question, “why” has helped me grow tremendously over the past year. With Jed’s mentoring and the unbelievable amount of support from my incredible husband, I have accomplished more in the past eight months than I have in the past five years. Some of these accomplishments include being accepted to show at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, receiving a request to display my work at the newly renovated Renaissance Square office towers in downtown Phoenix, and in November, was invited to participate in a local art walk at City North in the Desert Ridge area. All of these experiences continue to fuel my drive to learn, and I have become fiercely determined to develop my passion into something that is self-sustaining.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My work consists entirely of abstract paintings, most of which are created with acrylic paints. I use a wide variety of mediums in my work including non-traditional mediums like fish tank substrate to add texture. I really love working with physical texture, but you will notice that I work with a lot of visual texture as well. My tools… vary. I use everything from my hands, and paper towels to spoons, pallet knives, and brushes. I like to experiment a lot to see what kind of marks and effects I can achieve by using different utensils.

What’s your inspiration – seems like it should be an easy question, right? I struggle with this one sometimes because I think I’m inspired by a lot of different things and at really weird, random times. However, there are constant sources for me as well. For example, being outside in nature, away from the city – the ocean, or forests in particular. I think it’s just the environment alive with colors, sounds, and sensations that invigorates me. It’s hard not to feel inspired. Also, the universe is always an inspiration. I don’t mean the big, very general universe; I’m thinking of galaxies, stars and the night sky – aurora borealis, NASA image kind of stuff. It’s like you can SEE the painting just waiting to melt onto the canvas.

What I want most for people to take away from my work is a smile. I would love nothing more than for what I create to bring joy to people. I think that artwork should be able to be enjoyed by everyone from any walk of life. In that spirit, I have begun to create pieces that will be run as prints, some as limited editions, with the intent to provide an option for those who may not be in the market for original works.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I don’t really feel qualified to give advice to other artists – I am still the noob, after all. One thing I can say I wish I had learned earlier (in addition to color theory!) is that there is no ‘right’ way to art. You just do it. You look around you and you pick up what is available and you just DO. There isn’t actually a magical formula, or a right paint or the right time to start. Grab that piece of cardboard from the recycle bin, pull out the old cans of leftover paint from the garage and just have fun.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I will be displaying at the Everything Beautiful Art Walk on Saturday, February 9, 2018, at High Street/ City North  in the Desert Ridge area of North Phoenix.

Online, my work is always available on my website, www.artbybarbi.com or you can also catch some current events happening on my Instagram account @art.by.barbi, or by searching #artbybarbi and #inconsistentlyinconsistent.

Additionally, you can check out my Facebook page, which is branded as InconsistentlyInconsistent @art.by.barbi.niblick.