Painting by Robert Buchanan
The couple that paints together has grown more gifted together.
Since 1981, when Barbara and Robert Buchanan met while exhibiting separately at the Mt. Gretna Art Show, they have led intensive lives as fine artists—studying art, teaching art, practicing art, and showing it.
A few years later, they were married, inspiring each other as artists and people.
“Art takes one out of the mundane,” Robert said.
Both artists have had long and prestigious careers.
Robert is the author of “Four Contemporary Watercolor Illustrators” and has been published in many books and magazines. He has exhibited broadly, including for the U.S. State Department’s “Art in Embassies” program, and has taught at the Art Institute of York, among other places.
Barbara has exhibited at the Reading Art Museum, the Governor’s Mansion and the Lancaster Art Museum, to name just a few, winning numerous awards. Like Robert, she has taught art in many places, including the Lancaster Art Museum, Willow Valley Community, Mechanicsburg Art Center and the York Art Association.
Now in their 70s, these semi-retired artists continue to create and blend each other’s personalities, as they have since that day at Mt. Gretna.
Robert is the more vocal, likelier to answer questions. But he’s also sure to share the stage with Barbara. She credits Robert with being the better “marketer and promoter” of their art and especially with “encouraging” hers.
While two people in the same profession might understand each other better than those who aren’t, they can also be competitive. The rivalry intensified when she sold a painting or received a commission, Barbara said. For a while she stopped painting, though that period ended some 20 years ago.
It helps that the artists have their own specialties. Barbara’s is pastels, while Robert’s are oils and watercolors.
Painting by Barbara Buchanan
Another phase of their lives began when they moved to Masonic Village in Elizabethtown a few years ago. Aside from its rustic beauty and an apartment they love, the facility offered an artist’s studio, to the couple’s delight.
“We have to share it with others, but do have our own work area,” Robert said.
In addition, they have their own exhibiting space—Dutchland Galleries in Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, Pa.
Mostly, Robert and Barbara work independently, but there have been a few joint projects. One is an illustrated volume of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” done for Reader’s Digest Books.
The Buchanans cite their friendly and interesting neighbors as part of the joy of living in Masonic Village. Admittedly, though, Barbara said that they’re perhaps more likely to know the name of the Buchanans’ dog—Salliann, a Maltese/Yorkshire mix.
Plus, being semi-retired means more time for their own hobbies. Robert enjoys hiking, classical music, going to museums, reading about artists, and watching British mysteries on TV. Barbara prefers antiquing, making Victorian ornaments, and reading about art.
Oh, yes, Robert has one more interest—genealogy. Turns out that he’s the eighth generation away from another famous person from central PA: President James Buchanan.
Over the years, the two artists may have slowed down a little in their painting but not in their passionate endorsement of it.
“To me, painting is visual music, a personification of my love of nature, objects and people, Robert said.
Added Barbara: “Upon viewing the landscape, I experience a longing for completeness. Through my paintings, I am able to express this feeling along with the beauty and timelessness I see in the earth around me.”
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
