Babette Ballinger

Babette Ballinger grew up in Memphis Tennessee and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BFA. After moving to New York City where she had a great time but did not find fame and fortune, she moved to Los Angles where she became a successful fashion designer and merchandiser in the heyday of color-coordinated pant suits and nylon printed shirts. Returning to New York, Babette eventually owned her own garment manufacturing company for more than 25 years. As a design and sales firm, she had to constantly re-invent herself, as well as learn how to run a business.

Eight years ago, Babette moved to Bloomington and went back to her roots, that of an artist. She started painting and joined BWC, Upland Plein Air, AAGB and the Bloomington Arts Commission, IPAPA, and Artists for Climate Change. She now serves on the AAGB advisory panel.

Babette loves to learn and to teach and is adamant about the restorative value of art and the capacity of art to build community. To that end she has founded PAINT BLOOMINGTON which melds all her art groups into one day of fun for the entire town to paint!!

Babette loves color and to that end works primarily in oil as well as in watercolor and gouche and acrylic whenever her mood suits!! Her work can be seen at Viridian Moon and various other local shows. She loves abstracting landscape and doing happy or moody work!!

Babette has founded PAINT BLOOMINGTON which is now in it’s second year.

Having first joined SCORE as a mentor in training in the Northern Westchester Office, and then becoming a full mentor in 2010, Babette was a member of and a chair of Bloomington SCORE mentoring individuals in business.

She published her first book, a memoir of the Ballinger family called Earthbound and has just completed her own personal memories.

Babette is an amateur genealogist and has helped a few friends find their biological families.