Ross Barbera was born in 1950 in Brooklyn, New York. Although raised in the city, he spent summers at his family homes in Smithtown and Peakville, New York, where he developed a deep connection to the natural landscape. This early experience has remained a central influence throughout his artistic career. He received his MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in 1975 and began exhibiting his work at Razor Gallery in SoHo, New York City.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Barbera’s paintings were represented by Soghor, Leonard, and Associates, also known as the OK Harris Annex, on Broome Street in lower Manhattan. During this period, he also exhibited at the Jean Lumbard Gallery on 57th Street in Manhattan and the Clark Whitney Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts. His work has appeared in numerous galleries and juried exhibitions throughout the United States.

Barbera’s awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Painting Fellowship, a New York State CAPS Fellowship in Painting, a grant from the Hillwood Art Museum at Long Island University, C. W. Post, and many honors from juried exhibitions. Recent distinctions include Best in Show at the Setauket Artists 39th Annual Exhibition in 2019, Best in Show at the Setauket Artists Deepwells Exhibition in 2023, and First Place at The Atelier’s 3rd Annual Invitational Exhibition in 2021 in St. James, New York.

From 1990 to 2020, Barbera served as a full‑time faculty member in the Department of Art and Design at St. John’s University, where he also held the position of department chair from 2010 to 2013. He retired in 2020 as Associate Professor.
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Barbera continues to maintain an active painting practice. His recent work focuses on landscapes photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Zion National Park in Utah, and locations throughout Long Island and the Northeast. He exhibits regularly in local galleries and teaches watercolor at all levels at the Art League of Long Island.