"White Flowers with a Japanese Wall Hanging" is a delicate watercolour painting which draws the eye from a tall vase of flowers sitting on a marble table to an intricately painted textile hanging on the wall behind. The textile provides a bold contrast to the softer tones of the flowers and it is a still life painting with many interesting components to observe as a viewer, including the small details and flowers painted into the wall hanging and the reflective shadow of the vase on the marble table.
Barbara has a personal interest in antique porcelain, textiles, pottery and art and her choice of subject matter has ultimately led to including backdrops of Japanese inspired designs in some of her paintings.
"White Flowers with a Japanese Wall Hanging" is part of a series which take geometric patterns based on traditional Japanese designs and combines colour and shapes to create a disciplined yet elegant composition, and her love of this style resulted in an entire exhibition based on this theme that was held at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery in 2009. Barbara continues to explore her love of traditional textile design and many of her paintings show a hint of this influence.