About the Artist

bio

Hello my name is Barbara Holmes, although on my art you will just see B. holmes. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I'm an Oregonian at heart but in 2005 we moved our family from Steamboat Springs Colorado to Talkeetna Alaska. I began coming to Alaska in 1999, working at Denali Natl. Park for the summer & fell in love with the state. We came back a few times and knew someday it would be for good.

Iv'e always been creative but didn't know until college how interested I was in Art. Starting with handmade greeting cards as a kid, bookmarks and later painted furniture, photo frames, wooden boxes & murals (I will paint just about anything with a paintable surface). I'm a Mixed Media Artist but these days I do alot of BATIK, a very versatile artform. Batik is created by drawing on natural fibers with hot wax , dyeing the fabric and removing the wax. This process is often repeated several times to achieve desired effects. The first onesie I made for my son in a batik class at Colorado Mountain College was the beginning of my business Baby Bugs Clothing by Mountntop Designs. I'm now also exploring Soywax for Art Batiks which is really fun and has endless possibilities. As well as some new home decor items like handsewn pillows with batik fabrics or vintage baby blankets, reclaimed picture frames & some birdhouses. I enjoy art the most when it's practical, useful or recycled from something else. I love to see kids around town wearing my shirts, onesies and dresses.

Well here we are in Alaska loving every minute of beauty and wildlife around us with our 2 boys, 2 dogs and 2 cats. You can find me hiking, playing or working in my studio at home in Talkeetna. I'm also keeping busy in our little community as a member of the Talkeetna Artists' guild, The Talkeetna Playground Project and a volunteer/ board member at our "Community Free Box". If you ever get a chance to visit look for my batiked clothing, art or handpainted goods in local gift shops around town and in Anchorage. Thank You, B.