Barb Sotiropoulos is an award-winning Canadian artist and graphic designer based in Calgary, Alberta. Barb brings a bold and intuitive approach to her work by blending realism with expressive abstraction.

Her paintings often feature wildlife, birds, and landscapes, celebrating the spirit of nature through vibrant colour, gold-leaf details, and dynamic composition. Barb’s art invites viewers into joyful, dreamlike worlds where emotion and beauty intersect. From small collectible pieces to larger, thoughtfully composed works, her art reflects a deep reverence for the natural world and a desire to capture fleeting moments of light, memory, and meaning.

After earning her Bachelor of Design degree, she pursued a full-time career as a graphic designer while continuing to create art. Notably, her illustration work is featured on the covers of Staedtler coloured pencil products available across North America.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My work is a celebration of the beauty, vitality, and spirit of the natural world. Through vibrant colour, layered textures, and a balance of realism and stylization, I create paintings that invite viewers into dreamlike landscapes where wildlife and flora thrive together. Birds often take center stage, depicted with tenderness and character, surrounded by bursts of colourful blooms and abstract patterns that echo the energy of nature in motion.

Using a palette of vivid corals, teals, purples, and gold accents, I aim to capture both the wonder and the quiet strength found in the wild. Every piece is an exploration of the connection between creatures, their environments, and the viewer’s sense of joy, nostalgia, and reverence for life.

I work primarily in oil and acrylic paint on canvas or wood panel, often incorporating gold leaf to enhance the feeling of light and magic within each composition. My goal is to create artwork that feels both joyful and contemplative, offering a moment of escape, wonder, and deep appreciation for the natural world.