Barbara Evans

Barbara Stewart Evans (born 1936 in Anniston) is a painter who works in a variety of styles, from abstract to landscape and portraiture.

Barbara and her brother, Carl moved to Florala after their mother remarried following a divorce. She was a cheerleader at Covington County High School and went to Huntingdon College in Montgomery to study art. While there she participated in the Montgomery bus boycott and marched in demonstrations.

She left college when she married Dick Evans, a certified public accountant, and moved with him to Birmingham. They lived in a large house in Redmont Park and Barbara used the former servants' house as a studio.

Evans sold her first painting to Caroline Ireland at a sidewalk art festival in Linn Park. As she gained in reputation she began to sell paintings through Little House Gallery, beginning in 1960. Soon she was honored with a solo exhibition at the Birmingham Museum of Art, showcasing some of her travel scenes. She earned representation in other cities and was able to tour Europe during the summers for inspiration.

Her marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce soon after her museum show. She now resides in Irondale and continued to paint every day.

References

• Kemp, Kathy (April 20, 2008) "Eccentric -- Artiste --" Birmingham News