Barbara Efchak was born into a family of musicians. Her dad had a music school and played in big bands in New York City. She started piano lessons when she was six years old, but lost interest after her father passed when she was nine. Although music was not for her, visual arts resonated at an early age and has been a life-long journey. Drawing and painting at an early age, she was always seeking a way to channel her creative energy with a visual interpretation of the beautiful and mysterious world around her.

 

She received an MA in studio ceramics after studying the craft throughout high school and college. Upon receiving her degree, she taught pottery in Vermont for several years at the Shelburne Art Center and built a very successful program following a professional career in marketing.

 

Beginning in the early 2000s, Barbara and her family made frequent trips to Europe, visiting many art museums for inspiration. She says of the experience, "I remember being in Florence after studying Renaissance Art during my MA, and I was overwhelmed and so inspired. I started to think about painting again." Influenced by both the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age, she sought to find a school to study these techniques, which led her to Grand Central Atelier in New York in 2013 to study with accomplished portrait artist Greg Mortensen. She also attended portrait workshops with Colleen Barry and Patrick Byrnes, as well as studying floral painting in the private studio of Michael Klein and figurative painting with Josh LaRock. A couple of years later, she began studying still life with Justin Wood, who has continued to be her teacher and mentor.

 

Barbara says of her work, "So often in this fast-paced life, we take our surroundings for granted. When painting, I slow down and make careful observations and compositions. Painting, for me, is a meditation that focuses on capturing a moment in time, seeking to elevate the objects and often suggesting a narrative."

 

Barbara resides with her husband and standard poodle in Bergen County, NJ.