Waterhole Canyon No4 by Barbara Behrmann 44J

Barbara Behrmann

I am both a fabric artist who makes abstract art quilts with original fabrics and a painter who creates abstract acrylic paintings. I began by making traditional quilts in the late 1990s. It happened by accident. I went to see a friend’s bed quilt on display in a local show and was instantly enthralled. An hour later I had signed up for an introductory class. After a few years of using long-established patterns, I realized that I wanted to create my own designs. My style evolved a lot over the years and in 2018 I started creating my own fabrics using fiber-reactive dyes. Techniques include immersion dyeing, dye-painting, and various printing and resist techniques – messy, but so much fun! At about this time I started experimenting with acrylics, collage, and mixed-media, with an initial goal of incorporating this into my fiber work. This quicky sent me down a parallel path into the exciting world of abstract acrylic painting. Despite working in such different mediums, my work shares several common characteristics: highly saturated color; the influence of rural, urban, and imaginary landscapes; a style that is abstract and often non-objective and improvisational; and created through processes that involved a lot of layering. Before and during my artistic journey, I received a Ph.D. in sociology, raised two daughters, wrote a book, and was a writer, speaker, organizational leader, and owned a small event planning business. I am also a certified Humanist Celebrant and have officiated at over 100 weddings. As of 2025, I am a seasonal transplant to Tucson and am excited to become part of the Arizona art community. I recently joined the Southern Arizona Arts Guild and the Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona. During the other part of the year, you’ll find me in Ithaca, NY, where I am a member of the State of the Art Gallery, the Quilt Divas, and the Greater Ithaca Art Trail. My award-winning work has been displayed throughout the Finger Lakes region of New York, as well central New York and Pennsylvania. Visit my website at www.ArtQuiltsbyBarb.com.