JOURNEY WITHOUT BORDERS

Barbara's art is instinctive and eclectic, inspired by journeys both real and imagined, guided by an irresistible need to put images to canvas. Like many Montreal artists, she draws from a rich tapestry of experience, of which her Polish roots are but the beginning of its multi layer texture. Her mixed media paintings are born of the moment, be it lived or remembered, infused with emotion and colour of the place. She Incorporates pigment and sand from the South of France into a shimmering, monochromatic rendition of building facade, while a small work recalling à childhood moment is done in pastels as sweet and naïve as its memory.

Everything is fodder for Barbara's restless imagination, from African statuary to an ochre fruit, and she often paints on found material, adding a particular urban touch to her works. Her production follows no specific pattern, it veers this way and that, depending on the artist's whim. Landscapes and still life are her favourite subjects, and holding court in the latter category are pears. Over and over, as if unable to resist on their sensuous, seductive form, Barbara translates them into stylized portraits, whether on canvas or vertical boards, each with its own hint of anthropomorphism. From the velvety, earthy fruit to brilliantly coloured flowers and sunburnt vistas, Barbara's paintings are an expression of a unique joie de vivre and an equal joy to behold.

Dorota Kozinska, art critic