Artists are as varied as their arts in every way and each traveled their own journey to get to where they are; and it is those journeys which make art so special.  Barbara Lady Faith Branson (isn’t that just the most incredible name you have ever heard?  Like a real life fairy tale princess!) grew up during WWII and traveled a lot with her mom and dad.  When they were able to be close to the rest of her family, Barbara’s Great Grandmother took her under her wing and taught her to sew doll clothes on a treadle sewing machine while her Great-Great Aunt taught her to draw.  While these crafts were wonderful, it wasn’t until her Grandmother came home from her job at a dress shop with a bag of broken or damaged jewelry to play with.  Turns out that this bag of shiny cast offs had the potential to be a princess’s jewels or a pirates treasure in the hands of a creative child.

Barbara put her desire to create on the back burner for a time in favor of various careers and a family life.  Her family now includes grown children as well as three grandchildren and one great grandchild!  Since her family is grown, she allows herself to dote on her three dogs and has become a full time artist.

When Barbara began studying art she spent most of her time on drawing and painting until she found the opportunity to take a jewelry class…and there she found her passion for metal.  She loves the entire process, which is a must if you are going to work with metal, from firing up the torch, hammering, cutting, sawing, and casting.  She can see beauty in metal in all of its forms from sheet to wire to casting grain to lump of leftover scrap; Barbara sees what it can be not what it currently is.

In 1997, Barbara began doing a bit of beading, and while she enjoyed it, it was not her true inspiration.  Once she retired, she was able to really dive into her work and has produced some stunning pieces.  Each piece is absolutely unique, and while she can reproduce a basic design, the beauty of handmade is that each will have its own set of marks which sets it apart from any other piece.  She catches her breath each and every time a customer finds just the right piece to love and finds that this creating each piece for a special person keeps her moving.

Barbara did trunk shows for a time, but has since found that lugging the product and props and supplies is just too much for one person and set about searching for an online venue to show her work.  After some research, Barbara landed with HandmadeArtists where she shows off her talent to the world.  Barbara’s work can also be seen on Facebook and if you want to keep up with her daily happenings, you can check out her blog.

Barbara is living proof that the journey only adds to the love of creating.  After taking time for her job and family, she is now fully immersed in creating beautiful pieces.  I’m sure, when you peak into her shop, you too will be able to see the love and care that this modern day princess puts into each and every handmade treasure.