Barbara Schwalbe’s pictures have undergone a continual development since she first started to paint. To begin with, she mainly used watercolours and drew many nude pictures. She initially drew her motifs from Nordic landscapes which held her fascination at the time.

In fact, landscapes and motifs taken from nature have remained the subject of many paintings, although the techniques that Barbara has employed have changed dramatically. From using mainly watercolours she moved on to acrylic which was more suited to her interpretation of the motifs. As a consequence her paintings became a lot more colourful, intense and structured.

Her landscape pictures are still more about a subjective experience than a realistic, detailed image of the landscape she is painting. Hence, her pictures are more than a simple description of reality, light form and colours; personal moods replace objectivity.

Since the millennium, Asian landscapes have replaced the Nordic. Her interest in China and Japan has led to numerous works with motifs taken from the Asian continent. These pictures are experimental, inventively structured and colourful.

During the last few years, another style has evolved; still life. Inspired by her passion for cooking she has developed a series of cooking pictures in which she depicts famous recipes. These humorous pictures form a strong contrast to her Asian pictures.