About Barbara Nuss
To Create is to Listen--to the World, to Stillness, and to the Spaces in-between. I invite you to listen with me.
Welcome...
Collectors often tell me that my paintings remind them of a special time in their lives. I understand that. I grew up in my grandparents’ home, and my grandmother...a woman of the late Victorian age...shaped my sense of beauty more than anyone.
Her house was filled with cherished antiques (many of which I still have) and the family used to joke about getting her a bumper sticker that said, “I Brake for Antique Shops.”
I used to think I was born in the wrong century.
Even though I'm a contemporary oil painter, I tend to carry that sense of history and nostalgia into my work...reaching back to a quieter time, before urban sprawl pressed in so tightly.
Whether I’m painting a landscape, an old neighborhood, or a simple still life, I’m drawn to reflections, long shadows, and dappled light... moments that ask you to pause and look a little longer.
My process begins in observation and stillness. What begins as a place gradually becomes a feeling. If it awakens something personal in you, then it has found its way.
MEET THE ARTIST
So I invite you to step into the world I’ve shaped and experience the place through my eyes. If a painting allows you to linger and feel a quiet connection of your own, then it has found its place.
My paintings are rooted in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, though my travels occasionally take me up and down the East Coast, where I'm drawn to shifting light, weathered textures, and the quiet character of familiar scenes.
I often tell my students there’s no such thing as a perfect landscape. I choose a scene because it has possibilities. Over time, I’ve learned that painting isn’t about illustrating what’s in front of me...it’s about shaping what I see into what I want it to become. I may shift the light, deepen the mood, or adjust the composition until it feels resolved.
How and Why I Became an Artist! The Whole Story.
EARLY SPARKS
I was an only grandchild, living with my parents and grandparents, quiet and eager to please, and happiest with a pencil in my hand. My father, a Sunday painter, gave me my first crayons and coloring books. I wasn’t just entertained… I was in another world.
As long as I had something to draw with, the world around me disappeared.
When I was eight, he guided me through my first oil painting — a beach scene copied from the Saturday Evening Post — teaching me how to grid a picture and mix colors. That moment changed everything.
I was hooked.
DETOURS AND DETERMINATION
Life shifted when my parents divorced when I was nine. My father’s influence in my art became occasional, though he still whisked me off to the National Gallery of Art now and then, pointing excitedly at the Impressionists. By the time I was twelve, Monet, Pissarro, and Van Gogh felt like old friends.
All through junior high and high school, I loaded up on every art class available. When it came time for college plans, I begged for art school — MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), or somewhere I could be surrounded by creative people.
My mother had other ideas.
She feared artists were wannabe hippies who drank too much and lived on the streets. She wanted college, a degree, and her sorority for me.
ANSWERING THE CALL
So, trying to keep the peace, I agreed to Syracuse University as a home economics major — thinking maybe I could decorate interiors.
After three semesters of resisting destiny, I marched myself into the Fine Arts School and changed my major to fashion illustration. It felt like coming home.
After graduation, I stayed in Syracuse and became an illustrator for Chappell's department store. My art director was exceptional ... I learned to render clothing, jewelry, and household objects with detail and elegance. Those skills became the foundation of my still life paintings years later.
THE WANDERING ILLLUSTRATOR
When I lived in Syracuse in the early 60's, the only artists in town were the ones that did the illustrations for the department store ads in the newspapers. There was no such thing as a commercial art gallery. I didn't know such a thing even existed.
When I returned to the Maryland suburbs, I took every illustration job that came along. I sometimes joke that I illustrated everything from satellites to toilet seats — which is true!
I was working… but the dream was still waiting in the wings.
FINDING THE LANDSCAPE, AND ME
After numerous jobs as an illustrator, graphic artist, and advertising director, I finally decided it was time to follow my dream of being a painter.
I settled down and moved to the countryside in central Maryland and fell in love with the rolling hills, historic villages, and the barns and farms.
I started teaching in my studio, participated in numerous outdoor fairs and mall shows, was represented by several prestigious galleries, and began entering national shows.
The pieces of my life were finally fitting together.
ARTS FOR THE PARKS
One day I spotted an ad in American Artist Magazine for the National Arts for the Parks competition. I’d been painting along the C&O Canal for years, and I thought:
“I can do that!”
All entries had to be 18x24, unsigned, and shipped to Jackson Hole for judging. Over 2,000 paintings were entered. When they called to say my painting “Lock 4 on the C&O Canal” was accepted as a TOP 100, I nearly fell to the floor..
I flew to Wyoming for the awards ceremony...a magical experience surrounded by incredible artists and breathtaking scenery. It was the affirmation I didn’t even know I needed.
FROM PAINTER TO AUTHOR
That painting in Jackson Hole, plus several more of mine that had been in the TOP 100, caught the attention of an editor at North Light Books, who included two of my works in Art From the Parks. Soon after, she invited those featured artists to propose their own instructional books.
Once again… I said: “I can do that!”
I submitted a storyboard based on plein air workshops I’d been teaching — and three days later, it was accepted.
My book 14 Formulas for Fabulous Landscape Paintings was published in 2004, later retitled Secrets to Composition — now in its 9th printing and even translated into Chinese.
It remains one of my proudest achievements.
STILL LEARNING, STILL EXCITED
Since then, the joy has continued — plein air workshops, national shows, gallery representation, and most recently, becoming a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America.
The tools have changed a bit since those first crayons, but the feeling hasn’t.
Painting still gives me the same thrill it did when I was eight years old.
Thank you for reading my story.
If something in it connected with you — the love of nature, the pull of creativity, or simply the idea of finding your path — I’m grateful.
Art has always been my way of sharing beauty, memory, and place.
COLLECTOR REVIEWS
"YOUR WORK IS BEAUTIFUL and we treasure Autumn Symphony and Timeless. They are both spectacular. We're proud to have both of them in our collection."
BOB L.,
ART COLLECTOR, ELK CREEK, VA
"BARBARA NUSS IS of my favorite artists. I love her landscapes. They evoke a feeling of serenity. I continue to be in awe of her ability to consistently produce beautiful works of art."
SUSAN S.,
ART COLLECTOR, ANNAPOLIS, MD
“WE DISCOVERED BARBARA'S SUPERB landscapes last year and have begun a modest collection. Her skill and composition is exceptional. We can’t say enough about how we admire her landscapes, two of which are prominent on our “gallery wall” at our home. Our only regret is that we didn’t discover her work years ago! What a talent she is!”
BILL G.,
ART COLLECTOR, BLACK MOUNTAIN, NC
"WE ARE THRILLED TO SHOWCASE...
the incredible work of Barbara Nuss at McBride Gallery! From the serene beauty of nature to the architectural charm of iconic landmarks, her oil paintings capture timeless moments with masterful detail."
ABIGAIL M.,
GALLERY OWNER, ANNAPOLIS, MD
"OLD MILL ROAD" SOLD
yesterday to a couple from Madison, Va. Your work always gets attention and positive comments. Thanks for helping us gain a reputation as a quality gallery.
TOM S.,
GALLERY OWNER, WARRENTON, VA
"AS I BELIEVE I'VE SAID before,
when I look at your paintings, I feel I am right in the painting."
BARBARA M.,
ART COLLECTOR, POTOMAC, MD
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"We discovered Barbara's superb landscapes last year and have begun a modest collection. Her skill and composition is exceptional. We can't say enough about how we admire her landscapes, two of which are prominent on our "gallery wall" at our home. Our only regret is that we didn't disvoer her work years ago! What a talent she is!"
Bill G.
THE PROCESS
Bringing an idea to life through art begins long before the first stroke is made.
Inspiration can strike in the smallest of moments—a shadow dancing across a wall, the texture of weathered stone, or the quiet stillness of dawn. For Barbara Nuss, the process is one of observation and patience, waiting for the right alignment of light, emotion, and space.
Every composition is a deliberate act, balancing form and feeling. Whether behind the easel or painting plein air, Barbara designs pieces that invite reflection and connection. These works become more than visual—they become experiences that resonate deeply, offering viewers a chance to pause, feel, and rediscover the beauty hidden in the everyday.
Step Into New Dimensions of Art and Perspective
a world where every piece tells a story.
Where Vision Meets Canvas.
NAVIGATION
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