Becki Barnwell

Growing up, Becki had the woods of Mackinac as her playground for exploring and adventuring. She gathered wildflowers, before she knew them to be endangered and carried them home. Now as a painter, the cottage gardens and natural areas on Mackinac Island provide an exhausting supply of subjects to capture in her unique style.

Her undergraduate studies at California College of the Arts and Crafts were followed by the Botanical Art Program at he Ringling Art School. She spent a winter in Florence, Itay studying realism.

A life-long resident of Mackinac Island, she paints in her studio in the Island. Study sketches are doen on location as well as detialed photographs for reference. She paints with machifying glasses and bright lights to recreate the details that Mother Nature is so fond of.

She finds that the cottage gardens and preserved natual areas provide an exhausting supply of subjects to capture.