Artist Bio
Barbara Bix is a glass mosaic and kiln fired glass artist from the greater Philadelphia area. She primarily creates large glass mosaics of real and imagined natural landscapes, though she also has created both smaller pieces and larger free-standing sculptures. Barb recently began using kiln fired glass to add depth to her mosaics and has created a few intimate glass sculptures.
Barb's work has been shown locally and nationally. Her juried art exhibitions include the SAMA show in Houston; the Craftsform show at the Wayne Arts Center in Wayne, PA; the Southern Oregon University Exhibition, and the Spring Mosaic Exhibition at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, NC.
Barb won the Abington Art Center's award for best in show in mosaic art at the Center's 2022 Imagine exhibition. Her local juried exhibitions include the Inquisitives exhibit at Da Vinci Art Alliance's Art Fest, the Mainline Art Center's sculpture exhibition, the Woodmere Art Museum's 77th Juried Exhibition, and the Mainline Art Center's Spring Gala.
Barb has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital and has practiced for more than thirty years as a primary care physician. A Minnesota native, Barb's favorite hobby is riding bikes; she and her husband honeymooned on a bike trip in North Carolina and have taken a dozen trips nationally and internationally since.
Artist Statement
I have always liked to create art from scraps. My mother, who designed aprons and smocks from our living room, kept me entertained in the kitchen with scraps of fabric, buttons, and rickrack. Hours spent rearranging patterns into endless combinations launched a lifelong passion for creating in three dimensional spaces.
My formal art training includes university and community classes, individual tutoring in glass sculpture, and informal exchanges with regional mosaicists. Degrees in history and medicine and years of bonding with patients have strengthened my emotional intelligence and filled my stores of subjects. Stained glass work in my 30s led me to glass and ceramic mosaic art. Kiln fired glass has added new depth to those pieces, which regional and national exhibitions have featured.
I play with color, pattern, and texture to represent natural scenes and the female form. Sketches lead to initial ideas that evolve circuitously through firings, cementing, and tinkering with tiles into colorful and layered scenes. My pieces guide me to completion.