Patsy Barry

Growing up in the central valley of California, I spent as much time as I could learning about the natural world. As a kid, drawing and painting were a much-loved pastime. In college, I found time to take classes in drawing, painting and design, and worked for a time doing scientific illustrations. My academic emphasis was Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and then Plant Ecology in graduate school. My studies and work have taken me all over the West and Alaska. I feel very blessed to have seen and experienced the places I have been.

Graduate school brought me to Northern Colorado. My interest in art lead me to start taking workshops at the Loveland Academy of Fine Art. This gave me the opportunity to study with T. A Lawson, Hollis Williford, Lorenzo Chavez, Skip Whitcomb, Betty Carr, Patti Andre, Cathy Goodale, Ellie Weakley, Jeannie McKenzie, Mark Silvers and Steve Quiller among others. The combination of my academic work, my biological fieldwork and studying with such strong representational painters has had a profound influence on my style.

Currently I live and work at the base of the Never Summer Mountains, in the Colorado Rockies with my husband and two snow-loving retrievers. Never Summer Studio is surrounded by an aspen grove with the occasional moose strolling by. Inspiration is all around for an illustrator of the natural world. The bold colors and narrative style of my watercolors reflect my passion for the plants, animals and landscapes that surround me. My watercolor washes don’t always do what I intend but sometimes the results are far better than anything I could strive for. When my subject is a landscape, I often get out my pastels. With pastels I can translate the brilliance and softness of what I see into what I want to say.

Thank you for your interest in my work,
Patsy