Barbara Richards
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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CURRICULUM VITAE
Qualifications
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1983–85 Student at Mervyn Moriarty Art School Bardon
1986–93 Diploma student at Brisbane Institute of Art
1993 Diploma of Fine Art Graduate in October 1993
Solo Exhibitions
2004 Soapbox Gallery “WANT” Brisbane
1997 Doggett Street Studio “Myths and Other Fantasies”
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 Group Exhibition of QLD artists at Cooee Bay Rockhampton Art Gallery
2010 Circle Gallery “Different Strokes.”
2005 Soapbox Gallery Brisbane
2003 Soapbox Gallery Brisbane
2002 Leong Art Promotions Brisbane
2002 Rockhampton Regional Art Gallery "Cooee Bay Artists On Tour"
2001 Corporate Art Centre Gold Coast
2000 Rockhampton Regional Art Gallery "Cooee Bay Artists"
2000 Corporate Art Centre Gold Coast
1999 Courier Mail Art Exhibition Brisbane Exhibition Grounds 1998 Courier Mail Art Exhibition Convention Centre Brisbane
1998 Corporate Art Centre Gold Coast
1997 Quisquillas Art Space Brisbane
1996 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
This Exhibition coordinated by “Object Art Enterprises” extended from December 1995
to December 1996 with an Official Opening for more than a thousand people convened by the Commerce Committee.
In February 1996 and opened by the Director of the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) Michael Snelling.
1995 Griffith University/Qld College of Art
International Women’s Day Exhibition Brisbane
1993 Andrew Vincent Gallery Brisbane
1991 Masterclass Brisbane Institute of Art with Leonard Brown
1990 Group Exhibition "Qld Artists at Cooee Bay" at McWhirters Artspace Brisbane
1986–93 Brisbane Institute of Art, Group Exhibition Brisbane
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Workshops QLD Artists at Cooee Bay Yeppoon - 10 day workshops
Tim Storrier (Sydney)
Giles Auty (Sydney)
Ann Thomson (Sydney)
Andrew Sibley (Melbourne)
Robert Grieve (Melbourne)
Bela Ivanyi (Sydney)
Leah (surname unclear) (Sydney)
Roy Jackson (Sydney)
Irene Amos (Brisbane)
Roy Offord (Brisbane)
David Paulson (Brisbane)
Leonard Brown (Brisbane)
Rodney Forbes (Sydney)
Joe Furlonger (Gold Coast)
Guy Warren (Sydney)
Ian Smith (Brisbane)
John Wolsely (Melbourne)
John Peart (Sydney)
Competitions
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1994 National Logan Art Award – October 1994
1994 Moreton Shire Exhibition – April 1994 (work purchased by Committee)
1992 Royal National Show Association (RNA)
1991 National Refugee Week Art Competition – FIRST PRIZE — “School of Arts” Ann Street
Brisbane
Appointments
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1996 JUDGE, Annual Redland Show Fine Art
1995 JUDGE, Annual Redland Show Fine Art
1994 JUDGE, Annual Redland Show Fine Art
1992–95 CHAIR of Brisbane Institute of Art Management Committee 1992–1995
1992–95 PRESIDENT of Brisbane Institute of Art 1992–1995
1990 ADMINISTRATOR of the 15th Anniversary Exhibition of the “Queensland Artists at Cooee Bay” at McWhirters Artspace Brisbane.
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This was a large exhibition of over 100 works of 35 artists from all over Queensland, mostly originating from the “Flying Art School”. The exhibition attracted a Government grant and private funding with media coverage. I have attended annual 10-day workshops in Cooee Bay since 1988.
Memberships
Member of the Institute of Modern Art (IMA)
Member of Eyeline Contemporary Visual Arts
Member of Qld Artworker’s Alliance (QAA)
Member of the Brisbane Institute of Art (BIA)
Member of the Qld Art Gallery Complex (QAG)
Member of Qld Theatre Company (QTC)
Publications
Artists Remember 25 Years
Cooee Bay Workshop
Published 2000
By: Central Qld University Publishing Unit