I was drawn to Barbara Lawrence’s paintings a year before I joined her class. I had very little prior art experience, but wanted to try pastels and was amazed that, with her help, how pleased I was with my first painting. With her instruction and great eye, I am proud to say that three of my paintings were accepted for the Marin County Fair Fine Arts Show. I benefit greatly from her class critiques. There is no feeling of competition, but rather a feeling of camaraderie.  I’m so glad I joined her class; it has added much joy and richness to my life.

Felice Betlem

I found Barbara’s on-going pastel class at Riley Street a pleasant surprise and a very supportive and congenial group.  There were varying levels of experience within our class, we learned from each other.  No matter what level, we all grew enormously with Barbara’s guidance and her keen eye for composition. With a great sense of humor, lots of encouragement, and always kind with her observations, I experienced significant development in my expertise and proficiency with pastel. I love the outdoors and abandoned relics of years gone by.  I found Barbara’s love for the Marin landscape an inspiration. Her photo excursions are well worth the time and provided exposure to parts of Marin I had not seen before.

Carol Patterson

Barbara Lawrence has an excellent understanding of the concepts of strong and successful composition and she has passed this knowledge on to many Marin artists.  For each student she is able to point out steps that will bring a composition to success whether through technique, value, focus, or balance.  She has been an inspirational avenue to my growth as an artist.

Germaine Cooper

I started taking Barb’s pastel class this last winter.  I’ve been in scientific professions for the last 35 years and I had no idea what to do with a piece of chalk. This could be daunting, but Barb is a very patient and illuminating teacher, and has made it easy for me to begin.  I appreciate that she is teaching me the basics of composition and color– but also that she is helping me to observe and express my world outside of my usual scientific framework.  I notice that Barb is marvelous at helping each of her students access his or her individual talents and styles.  I also really enjoy the beauty of Barb’s own artwork– and I appreciate her willingness to share her process and new studies or paintings with us in class.

Susan Ryan

Barbara Lawrence’s classes are informal but informative.  My favorite part is at the beginning of each class when we share our latest work with each other and Barbara gives her gentle critiques. Her tips on contrast, composition and color have helped guide me into doing better paintings in all media.

Melinda Booth

I was an oil painter for many years when I decided I needed to try pastels.  I had my first pastel lessons with Barbara around seven years ago.  The first thing she taught the students was to always do a black and white study and that alone changed my art.  I have been studying with Barbara ever since. She is always positive and supportive and helped me become a better artist. She is a fabulous artist, herself, and her work is inspiring as are her classes, workshops and demonstrations.

Judi Stess