In Barbara's Words ....... My subject matter is primarily landscapes but can extend to other things that speak to me emotionally. My work, though sometimes painted from memory, is firmly grounded in experience. I have found that an honest attempt to visually express something I have experienced often evokes a strong response in others. A line from Robert Frost 's poem The Pasture says, "I shan't be gone long--You come too." This probably best explains my motivation as an artist--to develop a visual language that can invite the viewer into the work, give him a chance to explore the work, and allow him to relate the work to his own experience.

I began my artistic journey long before I ever picked up a paint brush. As a child, watching my older brother paint gave birth to a secret desire to create art for myself. In lieu of art lessons, I followed a musical path, completing a Music Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1n 1976. After college, I moved to Holmes County and spent the next twenty-seven years raising my children, helping my husband with the farm, and teaching. After the children left the nest, I finally picked up the brush and began painting

Most of my work involves some sort of journey. Sometimes it’s an actual physical journey; but more often, my heart does the traveling. I like to think that these paintings are invitational in nature, gently nudging (never forcing) the viewer to come along. Much like the farmer in Robert Frost’s The Pasture, I suggest to the viewer: “You come too.”

Sadly, Barbara Little Parrish, 65, of Lexington, Mississippi, passed away on June 23, 2020