Barbara Applegate was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Applegateʼs earliest fine art memories include visits to the studios of the many artists living and painting along the Delaware River between Center Bridge and New Hope. Influenced by the Buckʼs County painters Daniel Garber, Edward W. Redfield and Walter Schofield, Applegate spent her early years painting the villages and countryside along the Delaware River.

After graduating from Dickinson College, Applegate relocated to the Brandywine Valley and immersed herself in the rich tradition of realism made famous by Howard Pyle and the Wyeths. Working in watercolor, egg tempera and oil, Applegate spent the next decade painting the quiet rolling landscape and the beautiful 18th century Quaker homesteads.

By the mid 1990 the suburban sprawl surrounding Philadelphia had nearly obliterated the serene Pennsylvania landscape. Looking for new inspiration, Applegate spent several summers in rural Maine. She was drawn to the quiet villages with their wood-frame houses and kitchen gardens. In 1996, Applegate permanently relocated to Penobscot Bay and now maintains her studio/gallery in the beautiful village of Bristol Mills on the Pemaquid Peninsula.