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.
BARBARA NUSS...
is a contemporary oil painter celebrated for her ability to merge magical moments in the landscape with emotional depth. Her work captures fleeting moments—reflections, shadows, and perspectives—that challenge the viewer to look beyond the surface.
“My art is about perspective—shifting it, questioning it, and sometimes even surrendering it. Through light, geometry, and silence, I try to distill emotion into form.”
Barbara's creative process is rooted in observation and stillness. Each painting reflects a quiet complexity that invites introspection. Her work has been showcased in national exhibitions, private collections and prestigious galleries across the United States.
MEET THE ARTIST
"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.
“My paintings offer viewers more than just a glimpse—I want them to step into the frame, to feel the energy, the silence, and the pulse of the moment as I did when capturing it.”
Barbara Nuss's art journey has taken her to discover uncovered patterns, textures, and emotions that transcend geography, primarily on the east coast from North Carolina to New York State. Her work bridges the divide between what we recognize and what we feel, transforming familiar landscapes into subtle visions that invite deeper reflection.
Through the interplay of light, shadow, and form, Barbara's paintings reveal hidden dimensions, challenging us to see not just the world, but our place within it, differently. Each piece becomes a window into another perspective, offering collectors and viewers an experience that lingers long after the moment has passed.
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.
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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.
