Barbara “B.J.” Lloyd
For Connecticut artist Barbara “B.J.” Lloyd creating art is a somewhat therapeutic experience that allows her to connect with her inner self. In her artist’s statement she explains, “Art opens a window into my subconscious. My challenge is to capture the elusive bits I find there and allow them to tell a story.” One of her first challenges as an artist was receiving an art education, and finding her creative voice. Without any exposure to the arts as a child, she acquired a set of pastels on her own and thus began her life as an artist.
Lloyd went on to attend Kean University and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. After graduation she began teaching and created a series of album/CD art. When she realized teaching wasn’t her calling, she turned her other passion of Copy Writing and Public Relations into a career, by creating her own Public Relations Agency. In this position she still felt creatively satisfied, “…it was like painting with words”, she explains, “and fulfilled that need in me to create something.”
After running her PR Company for a number of years, she turned her focus exclusively to the creation of art. The mediums she primarily uses are Acrylics, Mixed Media, Collage, Assemblages, as well as Digital Art and Photography.
Now residing in Danbury, CT and working as a full-time artist, Lloyd finds inspiration in the ordinary, mundane and elusive. For B.J. these concepts “…strike a chord in my subconscious and stubbornly stick there until I pry them out with paint, a camera or another tool.” For example, she once used the imagery of debris she viewed from a minor auto accident to create one of her pieces.
B.J. Lloyd’s work has been exhibited in parts of New England, Ohio, Florida, California and even the United Kingdom. Her artwork is available to a number of professional needs including those of art collectors and galleries, publishers and designers. Along the way she has garnered a number of awards and honors such as four “Special Recognition” Awards from Upstream People Gallery Juried Exhibitions and received second place in the Art Buzz Graphics Competition.
However, for Barbara “B.J” Lloyd true success is not measured by awards, honors or fame. It is measured in what the viewer gains from observing a piece of art. As she explains in her artist’s statement, “If my art engages the viewer in satisfying dialogue, I consider it a success.”
Website: www.BJLloyd.MosaicGlobe.com
One Response to “Barbara “B.J.” Lloyd”
Stunning,,,, I love it!