Barbara Louise Clark (b. 1955) is a visual artist whose practice centers on the human experience and the representation of the body through a distinctly female lens. Based in San Luis Obispo, California, she holds a BA in Art with a minor in Art History from Channel Islands and is currently pursuing her MFA in Visual Arts at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Working primarily in oil and in series-based formats, Clark’s paintings gravitate toward the figurative, exploring themes of memory, the urgency of peace, safety from violence, censorship, and the pervasive influence of popular culture. Her work critically engages with the shifting portrayal of women over the past century, particularly in relation to sexuality and selfhood, positioning the body as a site of both resistance and autonomy.

Clark draws influence from both historical and contemporary sources — the sensuality and mythic symbolism of Titian and Botticelli, as well as the feminist rigor and emotional depth found in the works of Joan Semmel and Marlene Dumas. These references inform her nuanced interrogation of the female form — not as a vessel of idealization, but as a complex, sovereign presence.

Her current body of work is a visual meditation on the ways in which women are edited, erased, and shaped by cultural expectations. Through layered compositions and emotionally charged figuration, Clark continues her ongoing inquiry into feminist embodiment, societal constraint, and the psychological residue of living in a world that often demands women perform rather than exist.