Since leaving De Montfort University with a BA degree in illustration, Barry has spent his working life as a commercial illustrator, establishing an international client list, principally based in New York, London, Singapore and Hamburg.
His passion lies in painting though, something he has more recently given greater attention to. Barry takes a contemporary approach to traditional subjects, interested in the expression of light and depth, of building form without labouring over detail. His emphasis is on exploring mood and atmosphere, with a desire to move beyond representation to communicate on a more emotive level.
Working in oils and with a palette knife, cloths and sponges as well as brushes, his paintings are a mixture of observation and spontaneous response, always looking to create a sense of life and movement within the paint and to explore the subtle shifts between form and abstraction.. Beginning with an initial composition but with no rigid idea of the outcome, Barry allows the image to evolve through the course of painting.
