Artist Statement

 

My current body of work is inspired by people and their vision, motherhood, nature, and my experiences of the four seasons in the West Kootenays, B.C. What inspires me most is any subject that celebrates life. I mainly work with acrylic paint on canvas, but have sold pieces in the media of oil pastel, ink, watercolour, glass, and clay.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Charlene Barnes‘ commitment to art has been lifelong. Community opportunities include participating in local art exhibits beginning in her home town of Fort St. John, B.C. where she was also the curator of the gallery of the North Peace Cultural Centre. Here, she also taught community art classes. In the West Kootenays, where Charlene now lives, she regularly exhibits her art in solo and group shows including venues such as the Nelson Art Walk (2004), the Mermaid Gallery (2004/05), the Mainstage Gallery (2004), the Old Firehall Gallery (2005), and Rouge Gallery (2008-2010). One of her paintings was selected for the 2006 B.C. Winter Games in Greater Trail. Recently, another painting was chosen for a Rossland downtown banner (2012). She was also one of the founding members of the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture. Over the years, Charlene has helped to organize art auctions for various non-profit societies and has created posters and paintings for these events. Her artistic interests also extend to the theatre community through set design and painting for the Rossland Light Opera for four years, and for local high school productions.

Charlene graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Studio Art and a Bachelor of Education.

She has been teaching art, drama, and English at the middle and high school level for the last twenty years. 

Charlene’s work is to be found in private homes and in public businesses both in Canada and internationally. She accepts commissions from a wide range of interested buyers.