"Morning Light" – Tiny Original Painting**
I set my coffee cup down for just a moment—long enough to watch the water and sunlight greet me and my dog, Sullivan, as we welcome a brand-new day.
This miniature painting captures that quiet, sparkling moment of morning peace. Perfect for adding a little joy to your space!
"A Cozy Cottage Kitchen & a Tiny Teapot Painting"
This is a small, round painting of a porcelain teapot—a "Stayhot" style with a metal insulated cover to keep your tea warm.
The cottage kitchen is a vintage lover’s dream, full of rustic charm and almost no modern conveniences. There’s no running water—instead, we heat water in a tin bucket on the propane stove, just like in the old days. As you wash dishes, you’re treated to a lovely view through the window: a little forest clearing watched over by a towering oak tree.
The windowsill holds a colourful collection of old glass bottles, and in the afternoon, sunlight dances through them, casting playful reflections around the room.
“A Perfect Afternoon on Echo Island"
This original oil painting captures a serene view of Dennison Island as seen from Echo Island's southwest point—a tranquil moment frozen in time. Measuring 9” x 12” on a sturdy panel, this piece brings a sense of calm and natural beauty to any space. Ideal for adding a restful, coastal charm to your home.
Available now on Etsy.
Path, my feet touched, no, leveled down on your moss. I wasn’t a witch before I walked these paths but now I’m not sure. Are you looking at clouds or does your eye quest for the stars at night, so when you fell to the ground, you reached your desire? You can watch those stars as your green needles drink in the sun and the clouds. The lichen have a different song, they are solid to the rock and the water and the sun. You lichen, don’t mind when the winter, ice pushes into the rock and then reseeds in the spring. Path of Light 36” x 48” oil on cradled panel. Available, please email for details, sharinbarber(at)gmail.com
Hi, I’m leaving all my Meta products but felt the need to be seen, my weird obsession of a magical island in Canada. This is a small studio tour, on this beautiful cold morning in Toronto.
Please join me on Bluesky here sharinbarber.bsky.social.
That’s a Natalie Ross on the top left beside Rajmund Dybczynski, Polish master, I love how those two pictures play off each other. Just working on my big piece, it’s always good to hang them near the good stuff ♥️. #natalieross #RajmundDybczynski #polishmaster #greatpainters #goodcompany❤️
The cabin was cold and took a while to warm up, once I changed into something dry, I was eager to make the most of it, maybe starting with my sketchbook at the kitchen table while I drank my tea.
“When you are young, you run hard and fast into the future and sometimes it returns you right back to the past” The Ancestor.
Pangu spent most of his time outside with the cat, then winter, the Tungus would often dress warmly to go out and check on him, Pangu would be tucked into his friend as they watched the snow drift down on the both of them and the island.
The Tungus heard the voices running up to her, run they said, jumped into the water they said but by this time, mother and child had disappeared, she swam under the water but there was no sight of them in the deep dark waters.
The island has a voice.
I’ve been having a lot of fun painting the illustrations for The Sturgeon Moon, here is my Full Moon House, picture having tea with the inhabitants, a tiny preview.
We are back painting on the island, here I am with my two trusty assistants Sullivan and Hugo.
Toronto artist Sharin Barber spends summers painting forest and cottage scenes on Kawagama Lake in the Algonquin Highlands. There, Barber lives in the island’s sole building—a rustic, century-old cabin that has remained largely unchanged since it was frequented in the early twentieth century by writer E.B. White. Immersing herself in the natural world, Barber connects us to its dark enchantment with palette knives and oils. Her interior studies of the cabin take us back in time, affording us a glimpse into Ontario cottaging in the 1920s. In addition to her island studies, Barber is illustrating a book.
Sharin Barber graduated with honours from the Ontario College of Art in 1980. Her work has been presented in numerous solo shows and group exhibitions.
The baby had been quiet as his mother watched over him, the moonshine was having a conversation of light with his beautiful face. They followed the current of the lake, light dancing off the water as the small boat felt like it was being guided from below.
Had she seen faces in the water? She continued to paddle down the
lake and saw the hollow island of her tribe. It was very sacred to her
people, no one lived there, but that night she could see a small fire burning further from the shore.
As she dipped her oar into the lake, she really did see a face, and then hands appeared on all sides of the craft. The mother dropped the oar, picked the baby up and held him to her chest, as the boat was guided ashore.
As she huddled with her baby, three beautiful women appeared from the water. These creatures were the Women of the Lake, half human, half aquatic. The new mother felt comforted as the mermaids helped her get out of the boat.
The Lake Women were whispering in a language she had never heard before, the language was strange but somehow she could understand, she was meant to leave the baby here, he would be safe.
The Women of the Lake guided the mother into and under the water and held her there, until the last of the air was pushed from her lungs. Hands gently touched the top of her cheeks and travelled down her face ending before her mouth. She could feel the shape of her face changing under their touch. As water rushed into her cheeks she took in her first breath through her new gills.
Now, she was reborn, her purpose was to guard this place with her new sisters and her son.
A scream of deep pain echoed throughout the island, as the baby started to cry.
The mother wanted to swim towards her child but the sisters held her back. You are a lake woman now, we have a slave to care for your son and we will rule over and under our island. A woman appeared from the woods, picked up the newborn, pressed his face to her breast and with that the baby stopped crying and took his first milk.
