Biographical Info
My Background
Barry, a Registered Professional Engineer, retired from Vale, has been a proud resident of Sudbury since 1973 and is a member of the Walden Association of Fine Arts. I possess a keen interest in nature, wildlife and conservation and use this, with my attention to detail, to accurately portray a wide range of subjects in their natural surroundings. Themes for my paintings, although weighted towards the wildlife genre, include landscapes.
The portrayal of landscapes and natural settings offers its own challenge of creating the mood of the moment by transferring the image on to the canvas or board. It forces the artist to understand the use of colour and light to capture this moment in time. Wildlife subjects and their natural surroundings require extensive research in order to achieve as high a degree of realism as possible. My safari to Tanzania in 2004 (as part of the WPBS Television show ‘Journey of an Artist') was in keeping with my thirst for accurate and inspiring references. Over the last 30 years I have had the good fortune to have taken courses from Robert Bateman, Glen Loates, Ivan Wheale and Dwayne Harty, all of whom have had a significant impact on my work.
My predominant medium is acrylic; however, I use high quality oils for my outdoor pleine air painting in order to deal with the natural elements. On a less frequent scale, I am very familiar with coloured pencils and pastels.
My Inspiration
In a time when many of our birds and mammals are endangered and at risk of extinction, it is of paramount importance to create a legacy of images that can serve as a reminder of the majesty that once was or an inspiration for actions to save them.
The same rationale applies to landscape subjects. The growth of urban areas impacts the urgency to preserve wilderness areas. Landscape images that create a sense of awe and evoke emotion from the viewer can only help to increase awareness of conservation.
Despite the lure of exotic reference locations, I have always found the North to abound with endless photo reference opportunities. Manitoulin Island, Algonquin Park, La Cloche, Lake Laurentian Conservation Area, Killarney Park and Onaping Falls are a few of my favourite locations that will always inspire my creativity.