By, Gary Malicki
For our 25th wedding anniversary, in 2002, my wife and I took a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine which included a visit to Acadia National Park, this included in one of the mementos we saved from that excursion is a commemorative Washington quarter that features Acadia in the National Park series.
Little did I know that 22 years later, I would meet the person who designed the reverse side of that coin. I made her acquaintance a few weeks ago and her name is Barbara Fox. She works out of a studio at 42 Mill Street next to Deneen Painting right in Ellicottville.
I found Barbara via social media when she commented on one of my posts. I felt incredibly fortunate for her to respond to my request to meet with her to tell her story.
She expertly paints still life, florals and figurative style and breathtaking portraits. There’s a quote on her website that says, “A commissioned portrait is a window to the past and an heirloom to the future”. A portrait she’s currently working on was prominently and proudly displayed in her studio.
Originally, she wanted to be a veterinarian. She attended the University of California at Davis but her grades prevented her from continuing. I shared with her that math was also my kryptonite in school as well.
We talked about her natural artistic talent and she said she has enjoyed drawing ever since she was a little girl. She went on to earn a fine arts degree and was subsequently employed in a myriad of different respectable jobs relating to art.
She worked as an illustrator in San Francisco and prepared manuals for the Schlage Lock Co. and also as an illustrator for American Greetings.
I can honestly tell you that the artwork displayed in her studio is truly impressive. The pictures of her florals make you feel as though you can reach right into the frame and pull that flower out right into your own hand. Her work is that good and if, for example, you chose to be immortalized in portrait, Barbara Fox is the person you need to see.
I asked her what keeps her inspired and her reply, interestingly, was “other people’s work”. It makes her want to get even better at her craft.
Barb and her husband left California in ’93 for other employment opportunities. They live local and her husband is a retired beekeeper. His specialty was raising Russian queens
known for their hardiness. He must have a great sense of humor as he refers to Barbara’s work as “doodling”. It’s way much more than that.
As I gave a hint earlier, Barbara spent some time working for the U.S. mint. When they were producing the tribute to the national parks, Barbara created five of those designs.
How lucky is a person who can honestly say, “I feel grateful to be doing this work for a living”. That is certainly the mark of a very happy person and a very talented artist.
Her website displays quite an array of her work that includes pricing and is definitely worth the time to check out. She plans on doing more local shows as the last one she did was in 2022.
Barbara also takes part in juried competitions. She sends an image of her work via email and then is informed as to whether she should send the actual artwork to be judged.
She’s also a member of the Portrait Society and submits those paintings the same way. She’s involved with the Niagara Frontier Water Color Society and asked for a big shout out to the local Tri-County Arts Council for their support to local artists.
I enjoyed my time with her very much. Her website is barbarafoxartstudio.com. She also has a presence on Face Book and Instagram @barbarafoxartstudio.
Meeting and interviewing her most definitely enriched my Ellicottville village life.