ABOUT

Barbara Richards is an accomplished contemporary artist residing in Brisbane working in mixed media and acrylics.

Her love of painting began at a young age, and her talent was cultivated, and developed at the Mervyn Moriarty Art School between 1983 and 1985. Barbara also completed a Diploma of Fine Art at the Brisbane Institute of Art in 1993.

She attended the famous Cooee Bay 10-day workshops in Yeppoon for 16 years. There, she honed her skills with leading Australian Artists Tim Storrier, Ann Thompson, Andrew Sibley, John Wolsley, Roy Jackson, Elizabeth Cummings, Fred cress, Irene Amos, and Bela Ivanyi to name a few.

This annual workshop has been integral to Barbara’s practice – not only for the prized tuition but the opportunity to gather, work uninterrupted, share ideas, and build relationships.

Barbara has successfully exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, and her work is held in many private Australian and international collections.

Barbara Richards served as President and Chair of The Brisbane Institute of Art between 1993 and 1995 and during this time orchestrated a dynamic period of change and growth which culminated in a relocation to a spectacular new space.

Her Work

Barbara's work embodies a rare balance of intuition, discipline, and emotional depth. Guided by a lifelong fascination with colour, texture, and the quiet architecture of the subconscious, she has developed a distinctive visual language that feels both expansive and intensely personal.  Barbara creates paintings that invite the viewer into a dialogue of feeling rather than representation.

Her paintings are characterised by layered gestures and a masterful command of contrast—inviting viewers into contemplative spaces where stillness and movement coexist.

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Barbara’s dynamic brushwork and considered use of negative space evoke movement and stillness in equal measure.

Throughout her career, Barbara has pushed the boundaries of abstraction, exploring the interplay between spontaneity and structure. Her paintings are attuned to the rhythms of nature, memory, and the human spirit. Whether working on intimate panels or  large-scale works, she approaches each piece as an act of discovery, allowing form and feeling to emerge organically.

Through decades of practice, Barbara has developed a distinctive visual voice – one that is deeply personal yet universally resonant.

Her work stands as a testament to the transformative power of abstraction: to capture not what is seen but is felt.

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