“Our house is decorated with original art, folk/ethnic art from our foreign travel and research, photographs, and “outsider” art. Barbara's art hangs in our living room surrounded by such, but it occupies a particular niche since one of my hobbies is canoeing, and her piece represents an abstraction of what I see when doing so. Associated canoeing photographs include: a living tree overhanging the water; a recently fallen tree with its reflection and fall colors in the background; and a fairly large, long dead, sun-bleached tree stuck in the sand. Her art, which I commissioned, with its different kinds and colors of glass, white bleached willow and paint shows water, rocks and/or mud, leaves, color and branches, which can be seen as either living with leaves attached or as dead and bleached, the whole thus representing, in low relief, what I so much enjoy seeing as I paddle. Lastly, talking with Barbara about her art and its meaning has greatly enhanced my appreciation of it.”
- Donald Thompson, Professor Emeritus
Department of Anthropology, University of WI-Madison
