By Megan Reed
Sometimes an artist comes along who challenges your perceptions so profoundly that you are left reeling for days. Meeting Barbara Cole was one of those rare experiences.
To say “still waters run deep” would be a massive understatement. Cole’s work is magnetic, ethereal, and deeply rooted in a personal history that challenges us to face our fears. Her photography is not just visual; it is a testament to transmuting vulnerability into overwhelming power.
The Leap into the Deep End: A Non-Traditional Origin
Barbara Cole’s story is remarkable. On the surface, she is a titan of the art world, but her journey began with a struggle. A bright but overwhelmed student coping with an undiagnosed learning disability, she quit high school just short of graduation. She describes that time as “drowning”—staying up until all hours just to stay afloat.
But Cole didn’t sink. She took a leap into the unknown that she describes as “necessary.”
- The Model: She embarked on a modeling career at 17 with a gusto that left everyone aghast.
- The Editor: Without formal education or journalism training, she took the helm of the fashion wing of The Toronto Sun.
- The Visionary: She traveled to Paris and New York collections, designing commercial archetypes of female glamour and power for a decade.
It was during this time, while shooting her own fashion stories, that she discovered her ultimate calling: fine art photography.
Reviving the Past: The Wet Plate Collodion Process
Much like her career trajectory, Cole’s artistic process is intuitive rather than rigid. She plans nothing; the work begins in her imagination and distills until the path clears.
Cole often utilizes the challenging technology of early photography, specifically wet plate collodion. This process is laborious, requiring toxic chemicals, complex setups, and long exposure times. Yet, the difficulty is part of the magic. The results are often unexpected—teaching her new lessons about resilience and endurance in the long, challenging swim of an artist’s life.
The Metaphor of Water: Survival and Triumph
The metaphor of swimming surfaces constantly in Cole’s work. In her youth, she felt she was drowning in depression; today, she swims through her career with apparent ease.
This is most visible in her iconic underwater photography. Her subjects—often women, fully clothed—are submerged but never defeated.
- Timeless & Heroic: The women in her images appear epic and archetypal.
- The Survivor Spirit: There is a triumphant quality to these figures. They are sustaining themselves, holding their breath, and thriving in an alien environment.
A Symbol for the Modern Era
In the current cultural climate, Cole’s work resonates with even greater power. These are women taking their power back. They represent the human spirit’s ability to triumph over adversity.
The “magical thinking” of Barbara Cole is not a fantasy; it is a roadmap. It is a reminder of the deep depths of struggle and the ultimate artistic triumph that awaits those who dare to dive in.
The metaphor of swimming recurs powerfully throughout Cole’s work. Many of her subjects—most often women—are submerged, clothed, suspended in water. These figures are not drowning. They are surviving. They are calm, iconic, and resolute. They feel ancient and contemporary at once. In an era shaped by the #MeToo movement, Cole’s images resonate with renewed urgency. These are women reclaiming power, confronting vulnerability, and emerging transformed. They are visual testaments to personal will and the triumph of the human spirit.
I feel better knowing artists like Barbara Cole exist. What if we all dared to dive in as she has? Humanity would be in good shape indeed. Until then, we have her luminous, haunting images—reminders of what is possible when we choose courage over fear.
