Barbara Osterman

"My work has evolved from the love of the object in space, to light on the object, to light itself, to space itself. I have spent the last fifteen years exploring ways to express space as it is perceived in this modern era of out-of-space exploration. There is no straight horizon line when the work is seen from outer space."
-Barbara Osterman

Painter and photographer Barbara Osterman has lived in the Bucks County area since 1964. Educated at Syracuse University, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, and Arcadia University, Barbara Osterman taught art for many years at the Abington Art Center, Bucks County Community College, Moore College of Art, and Artworks of Princeton, New Jersey. She has taught summer seminar programs throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. For her distinguished efforts in Art Education, Osterman received the 1985 Outstanding Art Educator Award from the Pennsylvania Education Association.

Her abstract paintings in colored pencil and watercolor have been described as enigmatic and minimalist, with an emphasis on space as multilayered and active. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, and has exhibited at many local and national venues, including the National Association of Women Artists, the American Watercolor Society, and Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibitions. She participated in the Michener Art Museum exhibition, The Art Gene, together with her son, photographer Mark Osterman in 2000.

She says about her work:

"The subject of my work is space; I see it as active and multilayered. I also see "objects" as part of this active energy field. Certain mediums allow me to render this vision : watercolor, Sumi'e, sheer Japanese paper and grids can be layered. Strokes of Sumi'e ink or colored pencil rendered as arcs help to portray energy and create structure."

Education and Training:
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, 1943-44
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1944-45
Tyler School of Art, BFA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1982
Arcadia University, MA Humanities, Glenside, Pennsylvania, 1983

Teachers and Influences:
Rembrandt and Jackson Pollack influenced her work. William A. Smith, Daniel Garber, and Barse Miller gave her valuable information and encouragement.

Connection to Bucks County:
Barbara Osterman has lived in Bucks County since 1964. While married to mathematician Hass Whitney, she raised their four sons on a farm in Churchville, Bucks County. She currently resides in Lambertville, New Jersey. She has taught for a number of years at the Abington Art Center, the Bucks County Community College, and Moore College of Art.

Colleagues and Affiliations:
Pat Martin, Czilla Sadloch, Tina Salveson, Taylor Oughton, and Vincent Ceglia. Her son is photographer Mark Osterman and his wife is photographer Frances Scully Osterman.

Major Solo Exhibitions:
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1973
Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 1977
The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,1997
The Nassau Club, Princeton, New Jersey, 1999
Dickerson Hall, Princeton, New Jersey, 2001
Ellarslie Museum, Trenton, New Jersey, 2002

Selected Major Group Exhibitions:
American Painters in Paris, Pompidou Museum, Paris, France, 1976
American Watercolor Society, New York, New York, 1975,1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1990
Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1971, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
Artist of Bucks County, Krasdale Gallery, White Plains, New York, 1999
Abstraction 2000, Riverrun Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey, 2000
The Art Gene, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2000
Four Points of View, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, New Jersey, 2000
International Show, So Hyun Gallery, New York, New York, 2001
After September 11, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton, New Jersey, 2002
Gallery Artists, Nan Mulford Gallery, Rockland, Maine, 2002
Fields of Vision, The Academy Arts Museum, Easton, Maryland, 2003
Recent Works, Angelfall Studios, Baltimore, Maryland, 2003
An Abstract Concept, The Gallery of Fine Art, Newtown, Pennsylvania, 2004
Watercolor Show, Nan Mulford Gallery, Rockland, Maine, 2004
Focus New Brunswick, Rabbett Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2004
Homer's Odyssey: Princeton Artists Alliance, The Gallery at Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Lawrence Township, New Jersey, 2001; Newark Art Museum, Newark, New Jersey, 2002: The Princeton Artists Alliance, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey, 2003
Homer's Odyssey: The Foundation of Hellenic Culture, New York, New York, 2004
Artsbridge at Prallsville Mill, Stockton, New Jersey, 2004, 2005
Vision and Voice, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey, 2005

Teaching and Professional Appointments:
Abington Arts Center, 1968-1978
Bucks County Community College, 1978-1981
The Watercolor Series, Founder and Teacher, 1978-1989 (USA, Greece, Switzerland, Ireland)
Canadian Federation of Artists, Vancouver, BC, 1982-1983

Major Awards:
High Winds Medal, American Watercolor Society, New York, 1977
Crescent Paper Award, National Watercolor Society, California, 1978
Genius Foundation Award, National Association of Women Artists, Washington, DC, 1980
Outstanding Art Educator Award, Pennsylvania Art Education Association, 1985
Glushien Award, American Watercolor Society, New York, New York, 1990
First Award, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1998
Gardocki Award for Abstract Art, Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 2004
James A. Michener Art Museum Purchase Award, Artsbridge, 2005

Affiliations and Memberships:
International Association of Artists UNESCO, 1988
American Watercolor Society
National Watercolor Society
National Association of Women Artists
Princeton Artists Alliance
Artsbridge