Art medium(s): Metals, jewelry, enameling.
How do you describe your art? My work is inspired by natural and organic elements. I make small-scale sculptures, jewelry and vitreous enameled wall panels, each reflecting aspects of the natural world or human nature. Recent work is inspired by my 1200-mile section hike of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. A lot of my work includes vitreous enamel, which is a glass powder fused onto metal. It adds glass luster and color to metal, allowing me to communicate and draw viewers into small works.
Were you always interested in following a creative path? I have always been someone who sketches. I painted murals in schools, houses and businesses. Then I took a jewelry and metals course in college and realized I am a maker. I wanted to make objects and things that had a tactile aspect.
What does your “day-in-the-life” look like? Lately, I have spent a lot of time cutting stencils for my new pieces about the Ice Age Trail… my best studio time is the weekend. I am in the studio most weekends by 4:30 or 5 a.m. and work for 8-10 hours. This time of year I try to get out and look for migrating birds, which have figured heavily in my art.
Why do you love what you do? I love that I get to demonstrate ideas and experience for others. I try to communicate life and add beauty to my work. I enjoy the physical work and processes of my art. There is play and experimentation, but I am not going to cover up the fact it is work. There is also stress in all of the decisions I make in every step of the process: picking themes and colors, dividing space and working with difficult materials or processes. I enjoy the moments where everything finally comes together and the trust in the process to work through difficulties.
One thing most people don’t know about being an artist, in your opinion: It is a lot of work. It is not all whimsy and ideas don’t just flow. Art is hard. You have to develop a vernacular of visual images and ideas before figuring out how to put them together to convey an idea. That idea can just be beauty or a feeling, but it can be powerful and represent the cultural, political or global events or thoughts. 
There is always a battle within about the quality of work, whether it is good enough or meaningful enough. Ultimately, practice and risk are what build the language to gain confidence, as with anything. But there is risk in every step of art making.
Early bird or night owl? I am an early riser. I love the way the morning sun soaks the landscape in warmth. I like the quiet and the bird songs of the morning.
Is the glass half full or half empty? I am usually an optimistic person and try to be cheerful; though, a lot of my adult life has made me more cynical. Walking, especially as I walked the Ice Age Trail, this skepticism has melted away a bit. It has made me see goodness, kindness and charity in humanity.
Find Barbi at www.barbigossen.com or www.facebook.com/barbi.gossen