Bio

Barbara Hall Blumer

  Self-Portrait 2009

(pronounced Bloomer) (born 1955, USA) is a visual artist of paintings and photography, and the author of several published books. She lives in Corning, New York in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York state.

"The Yellow Awning”
New 2025

She is a realistic oil painter with a leaning towards creating imaginary worlds. Her subjects include landscapes, people and situations, and the rituals of life.  

She maintained a studio and gallery in Corning, on historic Market Street for many years, pre-Covid.  

She is currently working from her home studio, developing new work.  This is her tiny desk in the corner where the light is the best.  

OIL PAINTINGS

Farm Cathedral

Her paintings are done mostly in oils, and are colorful interpretations of her view of the world and relationships. 

Here's the work for her show (2022) for the Arts Center of Yates County in Penn Yan, New York at the top of Keuka Lake in wine country, the Finger Lakes region.  

She signs her paintings with her initials, BHB.  

GESTURE DRAWINGS (DIGITAL)

Barbara makes gesture drawings on her iPhone using her finger -- so they are definitely digital drawings. 

INK & CHALK

A new media for her has been ink and chalk drawings.  A series of 10 small works, so far.  Example of one is  above.  Shown at the Peacock Gallery as part of their minis art exhibit.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Supports the arts and preserving local history.  

THE PEOPLE WALL

 2024

Recently, she became a local author, publishing a book in November 2023, entitled People Wall '76: The Mural in City Hall.  (ISBN:  979-8-9890459-0-7)  It was a community project, taking over three years to research while she served on the Public Art Committee for the City of Corning. The book is 208 pages with lots of images and supplemental facts about the work of public art called The People Wall, unique and innovative for its time. It combines her interests and experience in art history, photography, genealogy and storytelling.  She donated her work as a gift to the Corning community.  All proceeds from the book go to the C-PP Historical Society for their efforts in preserving our local history.  It will continue to be available for sale at peoplewallhistory.com and copies are available to read at the Corning SESC Library and CMoG's Rakow Library.  

CORNING DUANE EDDY CIRCLE

She will be continuing her support of the community by researching and sharing more people-oriented storytelling projects.  At least two more are in the works.   The current one about Duane Eddy, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitar legend, inventor of the twangy guitar sound, who was born in her home city of Corning, New York.  CorningTwang.com

PAST STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORK 

The Priests

In the past, Barbara has also been a fine art photographer, including a show at the Arnot Art Museum in 2012 entitled The Observer.  Her black and white photographs are observations of people and nature which make you think twice and look closer.  She has published several photography books, including Artists in Their Studios which was a companion book to her show at West End Gallery with the same title in 2009.  As the world moved to digital viewing, she gave up printing photography in 2019 but continues to make images to use on her Feast Everyday food recipes blog and for her other work.  

FEAST EVERYDAY (ON GOING SINCE 2009)

Step-by-step recipes and tips for enjoying good food everyday from their home kitchen

https://feasteveryday.blogspot.com/

BACKGROUND

She has an Art History degree from Brown University, followed by a business career, including Dansk Designs, Corning Incorporated and Two Sisters Studio jewelry. She began painting and making photographs in the 90’s and had her first exhibit in 2003.  She has maintained BHB Studio & Gallery for her paintings and photography since 2012.  Now, her paintings are available online at barbarahallblumer.com and through the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes Peacock Gallery in Corning.  

You can follow Barbara’s work on Instagram @barbblumer_art and on her blog, barbarahallblumer.com

Please feel free to contact her at BarbBlumer@gmail.com

ART

Website: BarbaraHallBlumer.com

Instagram: @BarbBlumer_art

ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes

Evelyn Peeler Peacock Gallery

Phone: 607-962-1332

infoARTS@eARTS.org

CORNING COMMUNITY

The People Wall 

peoplewallhistory.com

Corning-Painted Post Historical Society 

    Phone: 607-937-5281

    cpphs@heritagevillagesfl.org

Corning Duane Eddy Circle

corningtwang.com

FOOD

Feast Everyday

feasteveryday.com

Instagram: @barbblumer_food

FRIENDS 

Facebook:  Barbara Hall Blumer