Name/Title
WPA - Barbara Gray - Silent ReverieDescription
Barbara Gray grew up in a pre-revolutionary house in historic Monmouth, New Jersey. “It was the kind of house that creaked and made noises,” she says of her home of 15 years. Inspired and encouraged by an artistic family, Barbara has always experienced profound joy in painting and craftwork. Her father, who died early in her life, was a pen and ink artist. Her mother did all kinds of crafts, including colorful embroidery, and her grandmother made rugs of braided strips of material. Some of her happiest memories are of family holiday gatherings, including summer vacations spent on the shores of New England, painting landscapes with her grandmother.
Barbara attended Pratt Institute in New York City, where she learned color theory. She then went to night school to become a graphic artist – designing silk scarves was her first job – and later entered the printing trades. Using watercolor, her preferred medium, she enjoys painting landscapes because of the challenges the constantly changing light poses: “Mother Nature doesn’t stay in one place, but she’s great with color!”
