Little Still Life, c.1975

Barbara Balmer  (1929–2017) was born in Prestwick, Ayrshire, Balmer first studied at Coventry College of Art before enrolling at Edinburgh College of Art, where she trained during a dynamic post-war period alongside many of the leading figures of modern Scottish painting. A travelling scholarship following graduation allowed her to spend extended time in France and Spain, experiences that had a lasting influence on her sensitivity to light, architecture and colour. She first exhibited professionally in 1953 and went on to establish a highly respected career spanning more than six decades.