BARBARA PHILIP

A short biography by her daughter Susan.

Born: Barbara Anne Burrows, 20 December 1952, Salisbury, Rhodesia.(Harare, Zimbabwe)

Matriculated: Dominican Convent, Salisbury, Rhodesia. (Harare, Zimbabwe )

Qualification: National Diploma in Interior Design @ Durban Technikon .1973

A Brief History:

I have never known my mother to be separate from art in any way. She started at a young age in school virtually ‘living’ in the art-room, matriculating with distinction in art, and away from school never being without her sketchpad, drawing anything and everything. After school she was delighted to go to Art School in Durban and be able to spend all day every day drawing. For career purposes she specialised in Interior Design and went on to work for Martin Jarvis Assoc. Interior Designers until 1974 when she left to marry my Dad, John Philip, and move to South Africa.

John had a construction job in Graaf Reinet, building schools, so while living there in a caravan, Barbara began painting in oils full time. It was idyllic!! In 1975 they moved to Cape Town, where she continued to paint. It was there that she began to take on commissions, and has continued with them ever since. In 1976 she took a job designing greeting cards until 1978 when my oldest brother, John Oliver, was born and they moved to the family farm in the karoo near Burgersdorp ( Eastern Cape ). My brother, Charles, and I were born shortly after John Oliver in 1982 and 1985. Here, my father took up farming as a career and my mother soon found that feeding babies and oil painting were not compatible, so she began painting in watercolour, which has remained her principle medium to this day. Oil painting is still more of a hobby and a form of relaxation therapy.

Barbara has also started her own range of greeting cards, which now includes some 400 designs taken from paintings done over the years. She has designed 10 book covers for Christian Publishers (CUM) in Vereeniging, as well as three aerogramme designs printed and distributed by Clifton Products in Cape Town. In June 2002 she was invited by the Watercolour Society of PE to run a workshop, and in 2005 began giving art lessons in her studio on the farm.

For Barbara, living on a remote farm has restricted her exposure to the public eye, so it became necessary to take regular trips to festivals and exhibitions in order to show her work. In 1991 John started to frame her watercolours, which made it easier to transport and display the paintings. In 2001 John Oliver, also an accomplished artist, designed this website that he and his mother would share. www.africanpainting.com . This has been a great success, making it possible for Barbara to show her work to the whole world while living far from the city life in beautiful rural surroundings. This lifestyle of peace and quiet, has been the perfect setting that fuels her creativity.

Exhibits and Solo Exhibitions:

1990 until 2000 Bloemfontein. monthly Art Market.

1993 – Bethulie. First solo exhibition

1995 – Grahamstown Festival

1995 – The Caledon Flower Festival

1996 – Exhibit at the Wildlife Exhibition in The Cape Gallery (Cape Town)

1996 – Kimberley Art Market

1996 – The Shell Festival (Jeffrey’s Bay)

1997 – Exhibit at The Sun Gallery (Cape Town)

1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 – Oudtshoorn. The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival.

1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 – Port Elizabeth. Solo exhibitions at Floraland Nursery.

2000 – Exhibits at Game sales at Willem Pretorius and Boshof in the Free State.

2001 – Burgersdorp. “Hagenhuis” Solo Exhibition,

2001 – Johannesburg. Koi painting exhibit at the De Wet’s Koi festival.

2002 – Johannesburg. Koi painting exhibit at the National Koi Show at Cresta Centre.

2002 – Johannesburg. Solo exhibition in Midrand at “The Art Company.”

2004, 2006, 2009 – Port Elizabeth. – Solo exhibition at  Walmer Park Shopping Centre.

2005 – Port Elizabeth. Walmer Park. Art Expo.

2005 — Bloemfontein. Homemaker’s Expo

2006 – Ermelo Solo Exhibition.

2007. Kirkwood Game Festival.

2007.—Durban Solo Exhibition at the “Fresh Paint” Gallery.

2010.- Burgersdorp, 150th Anniversary of the Gereformeerde Kerk Exhibition.

2011. – Burgersdorp, Sommerfees Exhibit.

2016. – Burgersdorp, “House of Art”- Gallery. Solo Exhibition for the month of October.