Hi, my name is Barbara. I am a closet painter.That’s right. I hide my art in a closet and publish sketchy images, not professional photographed, to online VIRTUAL galleries. I hide original art from galleries, and public. It’s been 14 years since people have seen this collection and additional works live. I live and work in a studio that most people will never see.
For many years I lived as an expatriate outside the US. In 1998, I returned to a changed America. Things were no longer simple. It turned into a rat race where people didn't live to work the opposite was true. Upon arrival I needed papers and ID's to prove who I was. Once a social security number was sacred given out to no one, but now it's almost printed on our foreheads. Strangely enough suspicion, and some sort of "secret security system" replaced social security. Long before 9-11, the demise what we knew to be good and true had started. Upon my return I found my county closing rapidly to personal freedoms we once knew and cherished.
I believe art must be seen live. Face to face where one can ponder the meaning and experience the depth of paint, detail and feel of each work. To speak to the visual artist about what they have to tell. Sad to say that is no longer true. Millions of artists struggle to be noticed and recognized, eking out a meager existence from Internet sales. Unless of course one is selected by avant-garde art dealers who select art so wildly weird that no one understands why and is embarrassed to say so. In reality rock stars, Hollywood celebrities, and Godless political leaders replace visual artists.
I know you might ask what has this got to do with being a CLOSET ARTIST? Everything.
It means that while I lived overseas in a real kingdom far away, I was able to freely paint, produce a huge art showing, all without license, taxes or gallery intervention. All this in a land where women are forbidden to even drive! Back then I painted drew and lettered until it grew into a collection of over 100 works. You can see the pictures below. I taught others how to paint as well and collective we showed and sold our works. Here and now, one needs a degree costing $50-60,000, a license and waits in line to be hired for such a job. Who took control like this? America was founded when people left England's licensing, costly schools and apprenticeships and tightly controlled society. Is that true today?
Amazingly, the repressive country overseas, I lived in opened a door to me artistically not found in the USA. It supported artists by building villages where they could work, paint and enjoy their occupation in a society that appreciated all talent and skills. Ok, so not being able to drive was sort of pain, along with other prohibitions like no religious freedom, no vanilla, nutmeg or women in the work force. That is another story to be told. What I did find is that people still related to each other face to face, and simply enjoyed their existence without the drive for money, success and fame. Visual art shown broke down cultural, societal and religious differences, giving voice and harmony to such a diverse group of artist.
In America it used to be that you do what you love and it all happens. It’s no longer possible with the economy that drives people like slaves to the banks that trapped them in to lifestyles they cannot afford... need I explain more? 
BOTTOM LINE: I am for now a closet artist. I am also a romanticist. Let me define the aspect of that word that aligns with what I mean: an exciting and mysterious quality (as of a heroic time or adventure) in art and life. I am also a follower of Jesus Christ of the Bible and a daughter for the Creator of the Universe, Jehovah God of the same biblical Old Testament. That gives me the faith to continue living, expressing and using all the skill and talents within me to create artworks though they reside in my closet and hidden rooms.
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