Class Instructor: Barbara McFadyen
Born in 1952, McFadyen attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where she was awarded her BA in
Creative Arts in 1974. She was first introduced to enameling at Kulicke-Stark Academy in New York and continued
later studies with master enamelists Bill Helwig, Martha Banyas, Jamie Bennett, Linda Darty, and Mi-Sook Hur.
McFadyen pursued graduate studies at East Carolina University where she was awarded her MFA in 2017. Barbara’s
work is found in the collections of The Enamel Arts Foundation, the Mint Museum, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art,
the Crocker Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery. She has become nationally recognized through competitive
juried exhibitions such as the Enamelist Society’s International Alchemy Exhibitions where she has twice been a prize
winner.
"My inspirations, thoughts, and emotions are deeply connected to the natural world; they have been nourished by
observing, gathering and exploring nature throughout the seasons, a practice continued since my childhood. I believe
the sense of awe invoked by observing the untamed beauty of nature can remind us of our place in the world and
reconnect us to a level of meaning that lies beneath all the distractions and demands of the everyday. Through my
work I seek to capture treasured memories, reflections of nature's beauty, and moments of tranquility into lasting
objects or personal adornments."