Meet Blair Barbour | Artist, Yacht chef, Yoga instructor, amateur magician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Blair Barbour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Blair, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business was a simple decision! I fell into it almost by accident.

My mother is an artist and was doing a few art shows while teaching highschool art. There is a high-end art show in Philadelphia that accepts fine art student exhibitors and even though I didn’t feel I was ready for an art show, my mother convinced me to apply. She looked through my college portfolio from my first year and helped me frame a number of sketches, paintings and portraits. After being accepted into the show and expecting to sell nothing, I sat next to my work for a weekend and ended up selling 5 pieces. I was ecstatic!

Through the process I just learned to do each step as it came along. I learned marketing strategies, kept in touch with clients and of course filed the annoying paperwork, all while developing my art and finding mediums I loved working in. I kept doing the art show in Philadelphia as a student and continued to sell my work after college.

I walked into an art gallery one day and saw a landscape made of paper, I thought it was fascinating. I had just been to France and saw a couple sitting in a cafe and decided to make collages of them. I ended up selling them to the weather man in Philadelphia and I thought…hmm I’ll make some more collages!

Each year my business grows. I sell my work through shows, online and in galleries. The last 5 years I’ve been working as a chef on a yacht the Caribbean for part of the year and I bring art into every aspect of my life. I have Caribbean themed art, have made collages for yachts, I’ve combined my collages with my yoga teaching and have written children’s books and I also do large wall murals.

Art has always flowed easily in my life and it is something I want to do daily. I know the cliche saying is do what you love and you will never “work” a day in your life…

but it’s true.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The medium I favor and exhibit is Mixed Media Collage. I collect papers from my travels all over the world to create my collages and I use high-end glues and Acrylic mediums to seal and protect my work. In some works I combing paper and paint yet many are fully created with the paper itself.

I love writing and storytelling, so many of my pieces draw you into the story they tell. My work is colorful, active and involves delicate work with each tiny detail. Many of my collections have a vintage, modern, or whimsical feel. I like to explore different genres within the same medium. My work is not your average landscape or portrait, they are meant to be conversation pieces, usually with a sense of humor. I love my clients and people I get to work with! When people love your work it’s like finding your tribe. I love to include the viewer in on the joke or the secret as they figure it out. Many of my collages apply to specific niches of our culture including stories and movies and I love watching people react to my work.

What I love about my Caribbean inspired collages are that they speak to divers and people in love with the islands like I do. I’m able to connect to people all over the world who love this place and I can bring my Caribbean work to any city, even the desert and these pieces will find homes. I love that, through my work, I can remind people of a magical moment they had under the sea.

Although I did say do what you love and you will never work a day in your life, that doesn’t mean all of it comes easy. As I grew as an artist I had to learn to handle criticism, rejection, and learn the world of sales. To be taken seriously as a younger person, I had to learn to talk with people, have answers to questions and be confident in who I was as an artist. Time management and making sure your clients feel taken care of is very important in any business. Without certain skills you could have many missed opportunities to forward your career. Making art is easy, sharing your work is another story. Knowing I only had myself to blame in certain situations is painful and learning ways to stay organized is key to my success.

In my art career I have been on the board of one of the top 20 shows in the country in Philadelphia for over 15 years. My art has been recognized with an International Art award from Neo Pop Realism, The NYC Washington Square award, The United States Achievement Academy Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, The Marion-Ebert Wolle Scholarship, and can be found globally with works residing in every major US city and in Paris, Hong Kong and Dubai. I was accepted into the Artist Residency Program at the Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona where I wrote and illustrated one of my upcoming children’s books.

I love to donate my work to help charities such as local arts programs in Philadelphia schools, Pinups for Pitbulls, The Wounded Warrior Fund, The IF Project and raising money to aid Haiti after the earthquake. In the Caribbean I have spent a lot of time volunteering making murals for the Women’s Coalition in St. Croix and showing Caribbean inspired work in galleries in the British Virgin Islands.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Miami!

I would take them to SuViche (get the plantain and truffle roll), Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, and Nikki beach club for an aperol spritz and a beach day!

We would definitely find a friend with a boat and try to go parasailing. Don’t judge me, I love it. We are going to then go on a kayak manatee tour before, of course, checking out some art at one of the many art museums like Perez and The Bass.

The night life is the best and we wouldn’t miss it!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First off I’d like to mention my mother who “let” me be an artist, encouraged my work and always had materials for me to experiment with. My parents were always supportive of shows, events and made it there job to always be there.

My sister, who got me to read “Awaken the Giant within” by Tony Robbins always pushed me to be better. This book explains the psychology behind your mind and helps you remove mental blocks. Don’t knock it til you try it.

The Rittenhouse Square fine art show in Philadelphia is one of the only shows in the country that supports emerging artists and helps boost their careers. I highly recommend fine art students explore the opportunities this show has to offer.

I have some amazing friends and family who always show up and come up with ideas and support my projects. I am really lucky and I recommend having high standards for who you have in your close circle as well as having high standards for yourself as a friend.

You can never fail when surround yourself with amazing people.

Website: https://www.BlairBarbour.com

Instagram: @BlairBarbourArtist

Twitter: @BlairBarbourArtist

Facebook: @ArtistBlairBarbour

Youtube: @BlairBarbourArtist

Image Credits
All pictures are mine – The professional image where I’m dressed like Frida Kahlo, if you use that, was take by “Celeste Giuliano Photography”