Barbara Safran de Niverville

Everyone should have a piece of Nature in their home to enjoy! As an artist, I explore the vigor and beauty of natural growth within dream-like gardens of the mind. The calming, meditative quality of my work encourages viewers’ engagement with Nature through art. My mixed media paintings on wood, drawings on paper and pin-hole photography emerge from observation, textual research and experimentation.

In 1977, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree Cum Laude from Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. I have also completed my Master of Fine Arts degree (2014) from the Lesley University College of Art and Design (formerly the Art Institute of Boston, Cambridge, MA). Honors include the MFA Alumni Award and the Sheila Hugh MacKay Master of Fine Arts Scholarship. I have shown my work widely in Atlantic Canada since the late 1970s in commercial and public galleries. I have also exhibited my drawings and paintings in Ontario, Manitoba, Iceland and the USA. Artist residencies have inspired me to create different series of work and I have been fortunate to receive numerous grants and awards over the years.

In 2021, "Vanitas Vivace", a short, animated film produced in collaboration with Peter de Niverville (director-animator) and Abigail de Niverville (composer) premiered at the FLIGHT / Mostra Internazionale di Genova, International Film Festival in Genoa, Italy. This experimental film has also been shown at the Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton, NB (2021) and the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, Halifax, NS (2022). I continue to take part in professional peer juries and to participate in cultural organizations. My teaching experience includes undergraduate courses in the Département des arts visuels at the Université de Moncton, NB. I live and maintain a studio in Riverview, NB.

What led you to become an artist?

My parents were both practicing artists, so I grew up in an atmosphere of creation with frequent exposure to original art in museums and galleries. I had encouragement and art materials to play with from the earliest time I could hold a crayon in my hand. My facility with drawing and painting was recognized at school, where I was occasionally exempt from classwork to complete special display or art projects. When I was in high school, I began to pursue visual art more seriously. I argued strenuously with the school guidance counsellor to fit art into my class schedule!

How did your training and experience help you to create and innovate in your artistic practice?

My Bachelor of Fine Arts studies introduced me to a variety of new mediums and approaches, which I pursued further with my Master of Fine Arts degree many years later. At the graduate level, I focused my interests and artistic process through a great deal of research and experimentation. I have since developed an eclectic process, where each series of artwork has its own parameters and qualities. A gallerist once remarked that I am like five artists in one!

What stimulates you most about your practice?

Creating and sharing nature-based art energizes me and builds up my resistance to stress and fatigue.

What motivates your creativity?

Spending quiet time in natural environments motivates my creativity. I observe the effects of light, the movement of air, atmospheric effects of weather and tiny details of plant and animal life. This may happen in my back yard or somewhere else, in a forest, marsh or glacial environment, at home or abroad at an artist residency. Whether I am in the “zone” of contemplating Nature or the “zone” of making art, I emerge mentally and physically refreshed.

How has living and working in New Brunswick helped and/or inspired you on your journey?

I became a landscape painter on my first visit to New Brunswick when I was sixteen years old. You could say that the experience had a profound effect on me! The wide skies, fresh air, grazing cattle and rolling marsh grass sprinkled with wildflowers launched me on my landscape journey. I was spending a month with family members on a farm in Jolicure, NB, armed with my second-hand, black and white camera and my watercolours. Later, my parents decided to move our family to Jolicure from New York, so I have been a New Brunswick resident since 1973.

How does your creative process unfold as you create an artwork?

I begin with an occurrence or effect that I observe and photograph in the environment. Often, I combine several images to use as a starting point for a painting or drawing. I leave the photos aside as soon as the artwork develops its own characteristics and I work with drawing and painting materials. I have also been creating digital images with pinhole photography in layered montages.

Why do you think it's important to make art and pursue an artistic career?

Making art is necessary for my personal equilibrium. Sharing art with other people is another reason I have for pursuing an artistic career, with exhibitions or by encouraging others through teaching.

What have you learned about yourself and the artistic community through your work?

I have the most in common with others in the artistic community – we understand each other’s triumphs and tribulations! We can share concerns and support one another.

What do you think is the impact of artists' work on communities and the province as a whole?

Members of the public love to see and experience art. It is an essential part of any human culture, of any society on earth. All people find ways to visually express themselves – the variety is infinite and fascinating! There are also many art-related small businesses, such as small galleries, stores that sell art materials and custom frames, fine art prints, art books, art events, cafés that exhibit artwork and other combinations of visual art and commerce.

Describe what you are most proud of in your career.

I have been blessed with many exhibitions and opportunities, international trips and recognition. However, I am most proud of the appreciative comments written in my guest books by visitors to my shows – for example, ‘You made my day.’ ‘I feel renewed!’ ‘It’s magical!’

What advice would you give to emerging artists?

Find ways to make your own particular artwork, even when you have to spend most of your time doing other things. Keep looking, learning, and experimenting and see where it takes you!