Barbara S. Flexner is a versatile artist. Whether working in pen and ink, watercolor or mixed media she strives to communicate art that is about beauty and communicating feelings of inner calm. As a painter she mostly works from mental images. Many of her drawings use the meditative qualities of the repeated line and shape to capture the viewers’ attention and the drawings themselves ask questions about basic human needs and interactions. Most of the drawings use the simplicity of lines to enter into great philosophical gymnastics. The artist’s background as an architect is evident in the precision of the lines.

The paintings are exuberant in their use of bright color and saturated tone. Ms. Flexner applies paint with large brushes and flexible palette knives. This is reflected in the looseness of detail and delicacy of line. Whether working with ink or watercolor on paper or other media this artist strives to create the impression of “having been there both physically and metaphysically”. Her drawings will at times ask “how did we come to be here?”

Capturing the impression of a landscape, seascape, and expressing human connections to the world and each other is what satisfies this artist. The use of color in layers and complex compositions gives life to views of lakes, sea shores, marsh lands, forests, mountains and still life’s. When drawing, the artist likes to ensure that values of light and dark play with each other to entertain the viewers eye. Many of the subjects are imaginary sites or painted from compound memories. They are meant to evoke a familiarity of place while at the same time providing the viewer with the sensation of having passed through what one is viewing.