Sara Barnes was born in San Francisco, grew up in Berkeley, and received a bachelor's degree in design from U.C.L.A. She did post graduate work at the Sorbonne in Paris, and the Instituto in Guipuzcauno in San Sebastian.

In 1982, Sara Barnes was commissioned by the Clock China Corporation to do a series of designs for a set of china. The china, known as "Napa Valley: Four Seasons". It proved to be very popular, especially in the wine country. Sara has done two wine labels for Robert Pecota Winery. The one in 1986 was a portrayal of a fox, the first ever painted by Barnes.

The fox has since become a popular subject for her paintings. Barnes was commissioned to design posters of the towns of Calistoga and St. Helena, as well as posters for the Napa Valley Mustard Festival and the Napa Valley Mustard Celebration. In 1986 she did twelve paintings that were used in a children's book, "Napa Jack's First Flight."

Barnes' paintings are the result of years of observation, and search for the perfect view of a special place. She does hundreds of sketches in the field before returning to her studio where she interprets her sketches in paint. She works on highly gessoed and polished masonite board using acrylic paints.

She has achieved a style that is distinctly her own, and she is widely collected both in this country and abroad. She has been the subject of feature articles in American Artist magazine, Spur magazine, Napa Register magazine, and the book "Napa Valley: from Golden Fields to Purple Harvest."
 

"Hillside Vineyards" 20" x 26" Acrylic $See online catalog for price.

Painting above is available for purchase.  Please call the Lee Youngman Galleries at 1-800-551-0585, visit our on-line catalog, or e-mail [email protected] to make arrangements.