About Barbara Stroer

Born in Birmingham, Alabama and educated at the University of Alabama, Barbara Stroer received a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Communication from the University of Alabama. Mrs. Stroer began her art career as a ceramic sculptor, moved on to graphic design and finally to teaching art in both high school and elementary school for thirteen years. Barbara lived in California and in the Chicago area before recently relocating to St. Augustine, Florida. Barbara comments about her work:

"Coming from a watercolor background, I am fascinated with the fluid qualities of water. The accidental moving and flowing of the paint make up a large part of my work, either as the background for my sea life and nature paintings, or standing alone as abstract work. Nature is a huge influence, and the organic shapes find their way into all of my work.

Even if I have an idea of how I want to approach the subject matter, I prefer to begin a piece of art with a nonobjective background. Frequently this involves a water and spray paint mixture, but sometimes it includes textures and sculpting mediums. As the water moves, shapes emerge spontaneously and the image is revealed. I believe this surprise element brings a creativity to my work and I like to see what can happen. Combining elements of color, texture and shape, I use my imagination to complete each piece. Ultimately I want to create a compositional wonderland for the viewer to explore and enjoy."