Andrea F. Barber first attended Michigan State University pursuing an Art Practice degree, then College for Creative Studies, changing her major to Graphic Communications with an emphasis on Advertising Design.
Althought her artistic skills have been a major contribution to the sign business she founded with her husband, she always joked "I still want to be an artist when I grow up". In 2011 she decided to further her career and entered work in the CCS Alumni Show. Since then, her work has been shown in every sucessive show she has entered. She also was a featured artist at a Milford, Michigan pop-up gallery in 2015.
Her abstract design is inspired by using materials salvaged from the fabrication process of her business, embracing the imperfections and highlighting their spontaneous design. She reuses crates, painting them as if a canvass and assembles wood, metal, and plastic painted items on the surface, often incorporating movement. Her paint execution draws the eye into a deeper level of exploration.
She deems each piece to be "an intimate visual conversation" with the viewer, titles often suggesting the subject matter. "I want someone who buys my work to love it and continually feel that same spark years from now when they sit in front of it and resume that initial conversation".mail.com