About the Artist

Barbara Ostlund is a fluid artist from the coast of South Carolina who resides in Central Utah. As the daughter of a highly skilled artist, Barbara was raised in a vibrant artistic environment. Over the years, she has delved into various art forms and creative passions. In 2022, Barbara began exploring fluid art techniques, gathering necessary supplies, honing her skills, and connecting with fellow fluid art enthusiasts. Barbara employs pillow paint, pigments and acrylic paints mixed with pouring medium, along with one or more cell activators mixed with Australian Floetrol to produce stunning abstract fluid art pieces on wood/canvas.  Barbara's coastal upbringing, and her love of nature's beauty and colors inspire her artwork.  Throughout the years, Barbara has instructed on numerous topics and intends to introduce fluid art classes in the near future.

In addition to the artwork readily available for immediate purchase on her website, Barbara also accepts commission requests. Creating a commissioned piece takes extra time to ensure they meet the specified requirements and the buyers approval.  Due to the time required to get the look requested, Barbara limits the amount of commissions she accepts in a year and requires 50% of the cost of a commission prior to starting the work. 

Barbara is known for her playful spirit and love for laughter. She finds the act of creating fluid art to be extremely therapeutic, using her artwork as a means to navigate life's obstacles and unleashing her creativity. Barbara uses a palette knife and/or hairdryer and loves achieving a soft watercolor appearance in many of her acrylic fluid art creations. To finish and safeguard her work, Barbara applies either varnish or resin. Resin is strikingly beautiful, but it is pricier and requires extra time and effort. Barbara is married, with two daughters and a son, one daughter-in-law and son-in-law, three granddaughters, two grandsons, one dog, and often has three kids' dogs and the occasional "spendover" dog. (Now you understand why she relies on fluid art for therapy!)  :-)