Cheltenham Area Artists Studio Tour
Painter & Jeweler
Barbara Handler

I am an artist currently living just outside of Philadelphia, Pa. I was trained as a figurative artist, concentrating in drawing and painting. My favorite painting media is watercolor, a difficult material to master.
The quality of transparency inherent to watercolors allows me to paint multiple layers to slowly build the colors and textures of my subjects. Lately, I have concentrated on painting birds, animals or portraits. I love the diversity of these subjects and the challenges of painting hair, fur, feathers, and skin tones.
“Not Your Mama’s Jewelry” is an ode to those women who enjoy wearing pieces that are a little out of the ordinary. My love of color and texture is reflected in the jewelry I make, too. I create jewelry from vintage pins or pendants that I find at flea markets and thrift shops, as well as from online resources. I add these to necklaces made up of a variety of beads that I have collected from those same sources.