Barbara was born in London but has lived and worked in South Wales for nearly fifty years.

Although she had hoped to study art, her father’s death when she was 15 led her to pursue a different path in community development and regeneration. She became an influential figure in this field and was awarded an OBE for Services to Regeneration in Wales in 2010.

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She remained passionate about art throughout her career, sketching, painting, and refining her distinctive style. On retiring from full-time work in 2015, Barbara decided to focus on her painting and see if she could finally achieve her dreams.

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​She has written and spoken about the neglect and desecration of our valley’s heritage, arguing for a better appreciation of the terraces and local aesthetic. Many of her paintings are impressions and images of the Valleys’ unique townscapes, landscapes and industrial heritage

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Barbara works mainly from her farmhouse studio, situated high in the hills, overlooking a historic mining landscape.