Whether it’s an alternate galaxy of bubbles or a peek into the ambiguous psyche of a plucky girl’s twinkling eye, Barbara “Bard” Holbrook is a digital mistress with flair and she’s not afraid to use it. Don’t be fooled by her deceivingly familiar backdrops, Holbrook’s characters and subject are anything but simple.

Her collections of pop art and photography showcase her eye for dramatic design and her infatuation with the playful spirit.

“A lot of my work has been influenced by people like Paul Rand, and Milton Glaser -- folks that blend the line between fine art and commercial art,” said Holbrook. “Milton Glaser’s poster work is especially inspiring. It’s graphically clean, but still visually rich.”

Holbrook’s style is part comic book, part sci-fi and part pop princess; the one consistent element throughout all her pieces is her determination to have fun.

Holbrook, a photographer and graphic designer whose self-taught techniques seep into all aspects of her artwork, has exhibited work in galleries throughout the Long Beach and Signal Hill area.

January through March 2007 she was featured as the Friends of Signal Hill Cultural Arts (FOSHCA) Artist of the Quarter at the Signal Hill Library with her exhibition “Simply Sunsets.”

Living and traveling nomadically into her 20s, Holbrook has made a home of Signal Hill for the past five years. Although she continues to travel frequently for inspiration, her primary muse these days is the unusual topography and diverse people of her newfound home in Southern California.

Having experimented with an array of digital and photographic techniques, Holbrook’s artistic body of work includes pieces produced using resources ranging from complex digital processes and computer creations to the deceptively simple toy cameras known as Holgas. To purchase art, photography, gift cards and more online visit www.SwellThings.com.