I use acrylic paints on canvas for my paintings, and use very small brushes. Most canvases take 3-4 months to complete. I began painting again about 5 years ago, after solely making pottery for over 45 years, and felt as if I had hundreds of pictures in my head which I had never put down in paint. I find painting to be a lovely and totally absorbing process, and when I paint I picture past times when summers were punctuated by country walks, bike rides, and the ever present picnic basket. Sitting by a stream while eating a sandwich and hoping to spot a frog, newt or bird that I had never seen before is a magical memory. My Mum knew all the names of the flowers. I would walk around our garden with my Dad - an avid gardener - as he told stories about where his plants and cuttings had come from. If I can convey some of this sense of wonder which I still feel about the natural world, it would satisfy me enormously - Barbara.

Barbara’s work has been exhibited at Ffin y Parc Gallery and Conway RCA