"All of nature has a design," said Barnett, who wants her students to appreciate that beauty. Barnett, who grew up in Niagara Falls, said she was inspired by her awesome surroundings.
At a small college in New York, she studied Eastern philosophies, French and art. In her junior year, she traveled to France, "where everything opened up for me artistically." That year, Barnett also traveled to Morocco, where she witnessed a more exotic way of life.
While studying film in New York, she was captivated by the dynamic use of light and color by Thomas Wilfred, an artist who worked in the early 1900s. Barnett said she was inspired to create a language of light on film that represents the different states of meditative experiences.
Drawing on that style, at the Hayden Planetarium in Boston, she created slide shows that combined her artwork with concert music under the stars. She has also exhibited at shows in Boston and New York.
To capture the luminous images on canvas, Barnett uses acrylics and the airbrush.
As well as focusing on external nature, Barnett, who studied in Sri Lanka with a spiritual master, searches within for meaning, and seeks to reflect the light of wisdom and transformation in her work, she said.
Her painting, titled The Celestial Tree of Life, was recently published as a cover for a book on personal transformation.
"There's enough of the dark side of humanity on the news," said Barnett, who calls her art "visionary" and prefers to accentuate the positive in her work.
Harmony, peace and centeredness, and balance are key, said Barnett, who uses archetypal images that are universal in nature and common to all cultures. The use of light, for example, symbolizes the divine, cosmic consciousness and enlightment, she said.
