“There is a voice that I listen to when I am painting outside. It begins with the sound of wind in the trees or flowing water broken by the call of a bird or distant traffic. In this ebb and flow of collective sounds in the environment, I see the ever-changing sunlight, feel the wind on my face, and a conversation emerges. It is a conversation with place, an encounter with the light that I seek to capture. Its fleeting quality makes me want to pursue it even more. As these precious moments are filtered through my perception, I respond to them with the language of painting.”

The artist’s yearning to paint in diverse locales springs from a relentless quest to capture the subtlest shifts of light. Barbara Hirst describes herself as “forever in pursuit of light,” a devotion that has carried her from Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, and France to the soaring summits and deep valleys of the Canadian Rockies—places where thin air and endless horizons magnify every hue. Whether she focuses on cliff‑top vistas or follows the rush of streams and waterfalls, the artist studies how sunlight breaks across tumbling water before it settles into the tranquil, glass‑like surfaces of glacier‑fed lakes.

Be it Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park, the Elbow River, or wandering the Kananaskis, she translates the atmospheric dance of light—its shimmer on roaring falls and its calm reflection on still waters—into paint.  These journeys feed the newest works at our gallery, each piece echoing the distinctive colors, dynamic movement, and serene reflections of the mountains, streams, waterfalls, and lakes she so sincerely explores.

Barbara Hirst received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba’s School of Art in 1987 where she studied with Canadian artist, Ivan Eyre, and was honoured with the university gold medal for her drawing thesis.  In addition, she has degrees in Clinical Art Therapy and Arts Education.

She is a Senior Art Instructor – Webber Academy University Preparatory School and is affiliated with the Bow Valley College, Calgary, Alberta.  She continues to travel and maintain an active studio practice.  Her work can be found in collections throughout Canada, the United States, France, and Ireland.