Born in 1935, Barbara Cleary began exploring the versatile and challenging medium of watercolor in 1963. After seeing an exhibit of Nicolai Fechin's work in the 1990s, she chose oil as her preferred medium, concentrating in plein air (a French expression meaning "the act of painting outdoors with the artist's subject in full view") landscapes. Barbara believed her intention, or what she "meant" when she created the piece, had little validity for anyone else. "I can't tell people what to see because each person sees through the veil of his own experience." While she didn't acknowledge it at the time, her change in career and lifestyle in the 60s challenged the social conventions of the era; like many other women artists of that decade, she faced gender biases and difficulties in trading her work and gaining recognition. Most of her paintings have been published and printed and are in private corporate collections and museums throughout the United States. Barbara passed away in 2010.
