Barry was born in Castel on the Island of Guernsey in 1948, he moved to the UK in 1954. Barry's interest in drawing and painting began as a young child, and at the age of 11 he won an international gold medal for his rendition of a teapot! He now works from his studio in Elland, West Yorkshire. More »

Barry was born in Castel on the Island of Guernsey in 1948, he moved to the UK in 1954. Barry's interest in drawing and painting began as a young child, and at the age of 11 he won an international gold medal for his rendition of a teapot! He now works from his studio in Elland, West Yorkshire. He is primarily a self-taught artist with 35 years experience. The artists who influenced his development over the years were Constable, Turner, Sickert, The Impressionists, Auerbach and Kossoff, but there are many more of whom he considers to have been his teachers.

Barry began to paint in earnest in 1976 however in 2003 Barry enrolled at the Bradford College of Art and after 3 years gained his BA Hons as a Fine Art Painter. He then went on to Huddersfield University where he attained his teacher's qualifications in Further Education. Barry has taught painting and drawing skills in adult education in Lancashire, Calderdale and in a voluntary capacity at Todmorden College.

Barry's primary source of inspiration is from observation and he has always given precedence to drawing: "drawing begins the intimate relationship between the subject and myself", he says. Barry's drawings are normally produced in situ and at times more than one drawing of the same place is produced to enable him to become more familiar with the subject. He doesn't look for the picturesque but prefers the mundane and the ordinary in an effort to lift the subject to a higher plane and make something more memorable out of it. He says "My aim is to attempt to recreate the subject before me and suggest a new life, energy and movement. The paint's texture and application is just as important as the subject matter."His interests at present are street scenes, buildings and architecture in his local area of Calderdale.

Barry's paintings can be found in private collections at home and abroad, and he has been honoured to present Prince Andrew with a painting from his Foundry Series 2003. In more recent years a German Book Publishing Company approached Barry with a view to publishing his monograph entitled 'From the Academies to the Rising Sun; The Influence of Japanese Art on the Later Work of Degas and Van Gogh' which is available at Amazon and www.morebooks.de
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