A Brush with Fantasy

Since early childhood, Barbara Lanza imagined tiny worlds in the grass and bushes in her hometown of Wildwood, New Jersey. Her devotion to drawing graceful imagery led her to pursue a career in fashion illustration, children's publishing, fantasy-art instruction, and coloring books, as well as art for products. Raising her children in a wooded area of New York State offered the direct contact and love of nature she sought to share. Throughout the years, her children and little granddaughter have inspired and been portrayed in her art. She, her partner, Jerry Kalogeratos, and two cats (Mickey and Angela, named after her favorite artist, Michelangelo), cherish the ever-changing landscape in which they live.