Barbara Howden

My current work is inspired by the local landscape and its history; finished pieces often include map fragments and prints of wildflowers and grasses collected on my walks. I use photographs and sketches as source material although many of my landscapes are quite abstract. I have also used the two piers in Brighton as a focus for drawings and paintings.
I mainly work in mixed media…a combination of acrylic, oil pastel, ink and handmade collage papers.

After taking early retirement from teaching I did a two year Fine Art course at City Lit in London before going on to do an Honours Degree in Drawing at Camberwell College, University of the Arts, London. I was a volunteer in the Friends Department at the Royal Academy for 10 years and attended Life Drawing classes there. I’ve drawn and painted all my life but it’s only since moving back to the South Coast (I’m from Brighton) that I have been able to devote more time to making art…. endless walks during Lockdown allowed me to become really familiar with the landscape and were a source of inspiration.

Barbara Howden