BARBARA GRANT
The inventive imagery in Barbara Grant’s artwork is a result of her creative process. “If I knew where I was going with a painting or drawing it would take the adventure out of it.” She likes to begin with a vague notion of a subject and explore, with various media and techniques. “Working with the unknown in this way forces me to learn new strategies to make order out of chaos, a c
ompulsion with which I am blessed.”
Barbara has been volunteering since 2014 as a facilitator with “Memories in the Making” — the art program of the Alzheimer's Association that allows those living with Alzheimer's an opportunity for self-expression through watercolor painting. “Time spent encouraging others to create from their hearts teaches me to do the same.”
She earned her BFA from Northern Illinois University in 1989, and attended subsequent classes to expand her abilities with print-making, writing and music. "The Tale of Straddle the Turtle"
One day I was running late for my yoga class and driving a little faster than usual. On the winding road into town I noticed a turtle slowly moving across the road in the left lane and had no problem driving past her. But further along I saw another turtle crossing from the right side of the road and made a calculated decision to straddle her between the wheels of my Jeep. Afterward I kept thinking, “I straddled the turtle… I straddled the turtle… I straddled that turtle!” I made it to my class in time, but I had trouble focusing as I thought of the harm I could have caused that fertile turtle. I also admitted a truth to myself - I have a chronic habit of trying to do too much in too little time. When I mentioned this to my husband, he immediately conjured up a vision of me sitting atop the turtle, holding reigns (like straddling a horse). The image of riding a slow moving turtle should remind me to slow down, he thought. So true! Instead of speeding past moments, hours, and days of my life, I need to slow down, to “straddle the turtle.”
