Visit the Studio with Barbara Kemp Cowlin

As New Yorkers daydreaming of vacation, we will always seize the opportunity to be transported to another state, another place, and another realm of imagination. Today, we take a virtual tour of artist Barbara Kemp Cowlin’s Arizona studio. Cowlin’s bright acrylic paintings perfectly reflect the landscape of Arizona, vibrant, ephemeral images of architectural spaces, water, flowers, each piece brimming with sunshine and natural life.

Join us as Barbara takes us on a thrilling journey through her stunning studio and mesmerizing acrylic painting process.

What is your artwork about? What does it speak to?

The “Askew” series are paintings derived from snapshots of architectural fragments reduced down to essential shapes from which I emphasize ambiguous perspective, hard-edged forms and simultaneous contrast in colors. My positioning of the forms within the composition deliberately creates instability and causes the viewer to pause in order to parse out what they are seeing. The relationship between abstraction and representation creates additional tensions between the pictorial plane and actual space for the viewer to puzzle out.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I’m inspired by the light and color on architectural forms enhanced by the clarity of the Southwestern atmosphere. In Arizona, being such a dry, arid climate, there is little moisture in the air –– therefore no haze. It makes everything appear crystal clear and colors very vibrant. Shadows often appear to have color, which fascinates me! Solid surfaces can look luminous when the light hits them just right. My paintings reflect these unique characteristics.

Creating abstract paintings is a departure for me. I attempted abstract work when in art school and it just didn’t interest me, nor did I produce anything that I thought was successful. For a long time I worked in a narrative figurative style. When I got married, my husband, a landscape photographer, taught me to see the landscape differently. For the first time I was inspired to experiment with painting landscapes. I focused on this for many years. From these, gradually I began to get fascinated by water and this became a whole new series, as you can see from my Art in Res gallery –– like Lake-Boat-Wake and Rock-Water-Wood.

As I grew more and more confident in my ability to paint realistically I began to think about challenging myself with something new. I purchased a batch of small panels and began to experiment with pure abstraction. It still didn’t capture my interest, although I love abstract artwork. Then I started to notice small architectural details that when cropped from their surroundings became abstractions with angles, colors and forms I found visually exciting. So I started exploring this idea and it grew into the series I’m focusing on now, the “Askew” paintings.

I start the paintings from snapshots taken with my iPhone. This is my version of keeping a sketchbook. Whatever catches my eye—the quirky quality of the angles, colors, and/or light on a detail is fair game for my collection of images. I have a huge library of these snippets on my computer that I’ll scroll through when I’m ready to start a new painting. I crop details that catch my eye, print them out and use these when I begin to paint. From the initial reference, the painting evolves in various ways. I don’t feel the need to stick with what initially attracted me to the image. I find a level of cooperation between the surface, the paint, and my eye which results in a strange kind of collaboration. The painting dictates what it needs and I dictate my vision and between the two, the paintings are born. Though not without struggle. But my intention is for the end result to look deceptively simple.

I find freedom in the limitations I am imposing on myself in this series which is all in a square format of various sizes. I like the idea of a consistent shape. I think it adds a cohesiveness to the work that is pleasing.

Although I’m currently focused on the “Askew” series, I remain excited about the “Painting Water” and “Bloom” series. Five of each of these are shown on my Art in Res page. Light Dance and Bright Water are two of the water paintings. Pomp and Circumstance and Flounce are “Bloom” series paintings. I’m working toward creating 100 of the “Askew” series (82 completed to date) and then plan to incorporate what I’ve learned from these into new paintings for the other series.

What materials do you use? And why?

I use acrylic paints on wood panels. I love acrylic products. The paint is available in varying viscosities from very thin and runny to thick and gooey. I am able to modify my paints with mediums such as pastes, grits, and gels for different effects––this allows me to create a variety of interesting physical textures. In both the “Askew” series and the “Bloom” series I use stencils as a technique for creating visual texture, patterns. Initially I purchased the stencils but eventually decided I wanted to create my own unique patterns rather than use designs created by someone else. First, I draw the patterns on paper and then place Duralar stencil film (thin clear plastic) over the top of the drawing, tracing over the drawing with a Sharpie to then cut the shapes out with a sharp mat knife and voila, there’s my stencil. When I’m ready to use it in a painting I mix up thick paint, tape the stencil in place and use a palette knife to pull paint across the stencil surface, pushing it into the open areas. Once complete, I peel the stencil off, leaving a crisp pattern behind. Then I clean the stencil and set it aside for future use.

There isn’t a right or wrong way to use acrylics as there is in oils. In acrylics, with just a few exceptions, many layers can be added using a variety of products on top of one another or mixed together without technical problems. This frees me to focus on what I’m creating rather than on technical issues.

I use cradled wood panels (panels with deep, sturdy edges to create physical depth as well as to help prevent the wood from warping) for my paintings in the “Askew” series rather than canvas. I like the feeling of painting on a rigid hard surface. On a firm surface it is easier to sand through one layer of paint to reveal another one below or modify textures layer by layer. When a painting is finished I paint the panel edges, sometimes with solid color that compliments the colors in the painting and occasionally with patterns added to create a more finished appearance. A collector can hang the painting as-is for a clean, minimalist look or have the painting framed if desired.

What is your typical routine when you get to the studio? Walk us through a typical studio day.

I work in my studio from about 7am-5pm weekdays and intermittently on weekends. My studio is about 20 steps from our home, separated by a courtyard. On a typical day I head over before breakfast to open the blinds, turn on heat or cooling, and take a quick glance at my email. After breakfast, my mornings are devoted to desk work. I check email and do a few posts on Instagram & Facebook. There are also shows and grants to apply to. I have a filing system for recording and organizing my paintings so I spend time updating this when necessary—whenever a painting is sold or is in a show, and more.

After lunch I return to my studio to paint. I usually have between 3-8 paintings going at a time, each at different stages of completion. I bounce back and forth between the paintings and sometimes land on one which absorbs me until the paint is too wet to continue or I get stuck before bouncing back to the others, eventually returning to the first one. It’s kind of a frenetic process and my studio can look pretty chaotic, but there’s a method to my madness and it works for me.

Do you work at a particular size or scale? Why?

The “Askew” series, as shown on Art in Res, started with 10”x10” panels. I made the decision to keep the series in square format because I liked the challenge of working with a consistent shape. In contrast, when I work on my landscape and flower paintings I start with a photographic reference and base the shape of the painting on the shape in the photograph. Some of the landscape paintings are very long and narrow while others are closer to square, based on a realistic rendering from the reference. When always using square it is the reverse process—I adjust the reference photographs to the shape of the panel. I have to reimagine whatever the shape in the reference photo is to fit into a square for it to still work visually.

The idea of painting abstract architectural fragments with a skewed perspective was initially an experiment. As I began to wonder if my concept would hold up at a larger scale I gradually increased the size up to 8’x8’.

I love the freedom of a really large area to fill and the necessity of using my whole body in applying paint. I also enjoy the constraints imposed by a small surface. By working on different sizes at the same time, my brain is activated and it keeps me engaged and creative.

As I have mentioned, the other two series shown on Art in Res are my “Painting Water” and “Bloom” series. In these I use both canvas and wood panels, all different sizes and formats, from square to rectangles of all dimensions. The smallest are 10”x10” and the largest is 58”x80” (so far).

What are you currently working on? Share with us what is exciting to you about this most recent work.

I am currently working on an 8’x8’ painting as well as four 10”x10” and a 24”x24” panel concurrently, all in the “Askew” series. I’m so excited by the challenge of this really large scale painting—it makes me feel like I’ve hit the big time in my work. The “Askew” series was started about 2 1/2 years ago. I hadn’t been interested in creating abstract work in the past but was ready to switch gears and try something new. It’s been an adventure since then and as the series grows, it morphs and my color palette changes, as do my ideas. This is all while still within the framework of abstracted architectural paintings with a skewed perspective and fanciful details.

Which artists most inspire you and your work?

I have a bookcase full of artists who have inspired my work over the years and lots of artists I’d like to add. I’ve been most inspired by Richard Diebenkorn, Elizabeth Murray, Howard Hodgkin, Joan Mitchell and Tucson artists Barbara Rogers and Jim Waid. What they all have in common is their unique use of color and balancing the line between realism and abstraction.

Do you balance another job in addition to being an artist?

Twelve years ago I stopped teaching art full-time in order to focus on my own art practice. Previous to this I’ve worked in a whole array of arts related jobs and have always squeezed my artwork in-between. Now I teach art workshops part-time, although I am currently taking a year off from this. In addition, for the past 7 years my husband and I have run a small tour company offering 7-9 day bus tours twice a year all around the Southwest. My dream is to be free of all money making obligations except for painting and doing the administrative work to move my art practice forward.

Do you have any current or upcoming exhibits? Please share!

I have an upcoming 2-person show that has been scheduled for March 2021 at the Olney Gallery in downtown Phoenix. The dates and the artist who will be showing with me are both in flux due to the uncertainties associated with the pandemic. I’m currently in a show, “Provocation of Place” at the Light Art Space Gallery in Silver City, New Mexico, which is up through the end of August, but open only by appointment. The annual Oracle Artist Studio Tour, which I typically participate in, was supposed to happen this past April, was then postponed until May, and is now sadly cancelled until next year. I’m looking forward to pursuing new opportunities as things open up again in the future.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special peek into Barbara's creative environment! Even in a virtual age, we encourage all budding collectors to take the time to connect with the artists you love directly.

We want to remind you of our awesome artist messaging feature directly on the Art in Res site––reach out now and foster that creative energy! Have more questions for Barbara on her art and practice? Follow up with her directly via our messenger. We know she’ll be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Ask about a specific painting or about her specific process in general––either approach works!