One day, when Barb was taking the bus, she was struck by the complete serenity of the woman in front of her. This woman had a child who was not having a good day. Barb thinks that she may have had a tooth ache or something like that. The child was upset and in need of comfort. The mother sat on the bus being completely serene. She consoled her child and was completely present for her child. At the same time, she was completely at peace.

Barb tried to paint the scene as she saw it with mother and child. She soon decided that the element that she was trying to reproduce was the serenity and not the circumstances. So she focused on the mother. The bus was reduced to simple elements and the over all image is quite simple. What is left is the essence of serenity.

This is one of the few cases where Barb has included a face. She says that the smile her face is a large part of showing the sense of serenity.

This is one of Barb’s earlier pieces. This is currently the only chalk on canvas drawing in the collection.