Barbara Lucas
Barbara Lucas's Artwork
Biography
Barbara Lucas is a 74 year-old professional painter that is currently losing her vision, and has found the inspiration and determination to begin painting again. Barbara has recently had several eye surgeries and is scheduled to have more. Presently, Barbara has no way of reading her own handwriting, bills and even the time, but neither disability brings down her high spirits.
On being a young artist
-“How it began; when I was 5 years old I started kindergarten, and I started drawing when I was about 3, as soon as I found a crayon. And(when) I was in kindergarten, I had polished my drawing skills a little bit by copying characters from comic books; I loved comic books, and I got good drawing snow white and the wicked queen, and a couple other characters. And all the little kids in my class would give me a penny when I drew them a picture so that they could color it. Well, I made about 35 cents a day doing that- and there was a candy store on the way home- so I would always stop in there and buy candy. 35 cents would buy you an enormous amount of candy in those days. And I would eat candy for the rest of the day. And was just getting fat as a little blimp!”
On Perception
-“There are a lot of different components in being an artist- your eyes are helpful, very necessary; but there are also a lot of other things that are into- the way you see things. You know… artists have a different perception than just, ordinary people- artists see a lot.”
On her discovery of partial blindness
-“I wasn’t happy to find out that I was going blind. Who knows if doctors say will come up with something in my life time (to cure blindness), but I am thankful for the sight that I have left, if I can hold on to my sight for a few more years…maybe I can win some more contests, sell some more paintings. I took my vision for granted for too long.. And didn’t produce what I had hoped – so now I have to work extra hard.”
Barbara Lucas currently has inspired the California State University Northridge senior thesis film titled: The Pebble Beach; in which she shared her own experience of her partial blindness to add accuracy and motivation to the film. |
