The paintings of Barbara Takenaga dramatically convey the wonder and awe of a starry summer night. The vast expanses of the universe sweep across her canvases in a dizzying array of color and light. These vibrant compositions are composed of discreet elements that under intense scrutiny explode and implode in starry clusters before the viewer's eyes. Spiral clusters dance across her paintings in a vivid array of colors juxtaposed with rich, deep background colors. The hypnotic effect of her spirals, orbs, dots and lines encourage the viewer to ponder the grandeur of the cosmos.

Barbara Takenaga received her BFA and MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a Professor of Art at Williams College in Massachusetts. She has received many awards and grants including a Purchase Award from the American Academy of Artists, a Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation studio grant, the Massachusetts Artist Fellowship, an Artist's Resource Trust Grant from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and a printmaking residency at the Vermont Studio School. Takenaga's work is in the public collections of Fidelity Investments, and Citigroup in New York, the Colorado University Museum, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts, the Hallmark Fine Arts Program in Kansas City, the University of Massachusetts, The News Corporation and the Museum of Nebraska Art in Lincoln.