ART EDUCATION:
BFA, NSCAD University
Certificate of Design, Sheridan College

TEACHING:
Barbara has taught painting classes and workshops across Nova Scotia including for the extension division of NSCAD University

Process
Barbara's large abstracts frequently begin with bold gestural strokes and drippy washes. After the initial spontaneous start, each painting is evaluated from a distance and over a period of time. Then the layering begins. Adjustments are made to composition, colour and texture, building, changing and refining until a satisfactory finish is achieved. This can take months or years. "I start fast and finish slowly." Barbara says. "I like to keep several paintings on the go in my studio and when I get stuck on one I move to another. This often means a change from high colour pieces to ones in quiet grays, blacks and white. I like that. It keeps my mind and way of working flexible. It helps maintain my interest."

               JULY 21, 2005, early stages and finished
Upcoming Solo Exhibit
  • 2019, St. Francis Xavier University Gallery, Antigonish, NS

Solo and Co-Exhibits (recent)
  • 2017, TIMELINES, Craig Gallery, Dartmouth, NS
  • 2017, Not Just Black and White with glass artist Anke Holm Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2015, Drawnout, with Susan Hudson
Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2014, Groundshift Expanded, City of St. John, Art Gallery, NB
  • 2013, Groundshift, Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2013, A co-exhibit with stone sculptor, Heather Lawson, Harvest Gallery, Wolfville, NS



Solo and Co-Exhibits (past)
  • 2012, Barbara McLean, New Work, Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2012, Abstract Landscapes, Harvest Gallery, Wolfville, NS
  • 2012, Markers and Tracings, ARTsPLACE, Annapolis Royal, NS
  • 2011, Old Ground/New Ground, Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2010, Chance and Circumstance, Atlantic School of Theology Gallery, Halifax, NS
  • 2010, Abstract Landscapes, Teichert  Gallery, Halifax, NS
  • 2009, Passages, Craig Gallery, Dartmouth, NS
  • 2009, Describing Landscape, Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2007, Intrinsic Worth, Peer Gallery, Lunenburg, NS
  • 2005, Mixed Metaphor, Itaewan, Korea