About

Cynthia Barnes is a contemporary realist painter. She works mainly in the water-based media of watercolor and acrylic paints. In her paintings, she strives to use rich textures and color to capture the soul of her subjects. Cynthia says, “I keep painting until I feel like I have brought the subject to life. I stop when I can finally see the soul of whatever it is that I am painting.”

Cynthia was born and raised in Ohio, but she went on to live in many other places: Providence, RI; Aspen, CO; Chicago, IL; Miami, FL, New York City, NY and also Rome, Italy; Bursa, Turkey; and Ghana, West Africa. She received a BFA from Rhode Island school of Design, a Masters in Art Therapy from The School of the art Institute of Chicago and a Masters in Education in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing from Columbia University/Teachers College.

Cynthia has always been interested in capturing the soul, heart, and spirit of whatever subject she paints. In her early days, she focused on capturing a subject’s likeness. But in Italy, the Renaissance masters inspired ideas about light and shadow, color and grace. In Turkey, she was influenced by the myriad of patterns of the mosaics and textiles. In Ghana she focused on capturing spirit of the people in her village and travels throughout Africa.

Currently, Cynthia Barnes continues to paint her favorite things using her painterly style to bring out the life and soul of her subjects.