As long as Barb Ali can remember, she always loved art. She spent hours in her room as a child coloring with her box of 64 Crayola Crayons. She enjoyed doing crafts in her spare time when she wasn't out riding her bike. When Barb finished high school she took a welding course with the hopes of becoming a metal sculptor. She ended up as a line welder for the Ford company but quit because the fumes made her sick. From 1985 to now she has made and sold clay tiles, clay and stained glass jewelry, quilts, Ukrainian eggs, photographic note cards, neck-tie purses, and mixed media paintings. She took a class at the Portland School of Art in Maine to learn to work with sterling silver and set stones. Barb also worked as a dental technician making crowns and bridges for a few months then decided to be a stay-at-home mom. She's now a full time artist making wonderous things out of gourds, including bowls, vases, bird houses, purses, lamps, jewelry and masks.

Decorating gourds is Barb's favorite thing to do. Yet she still finds time to make jewelry, purses, and anything else that strikes her fancy. --Recently she combed, spun and knitted a scarf out of her pet cat's hair!

Barb Ali's e-mail address: whooiemachine@yahoo.com

Web sites: www.flickr.com/photos/barbalira

www.myspace.com/barbaliboo

www.barbali.etsy.com

Currently I'm involved with four galleries:

Chances Gallery in Porterdale, GA

Sabra Gallery in Atlanta, GA

Southern Heartland Art Gallery in Covington, GA

Nabos in Kennebunkport, Maine

Recently I displayed my art work at:

The Humming Bird Festival at the Gaithers Plantation, Covington, GA

The Slotin Folk Arts Festival in Atlanta, GA