A fan of the Fauves, A.E. Barnes came around to painting in an interesting way: despite the fact that her mother Diana Barnes was a famous Southern painter, A.E. never felt the calling to follow in her footsteps. However, one Mother's Day, in 1989, she was suddenly inspired to paint a humorous image of her mom riding a pig around the house. A.E. began to paint, and suddenly couldn't stop. Literally overnight, an artist was born. Barnes is self-taught and is inspired by the imagery of Matisse, Van Gogh and Gauguin. Working to get her artwork on the circuit was not too difficult - Barnes was accepted to prestigious art shows like the Piedmont Art Festival in Atlanta and shows in Miami, Key West, Dallas, Houston and Washington DC. Today, Barnes continues to travel and exhibit her work throughout the US and Mexico.