21 Mary Barnes

Painting & drawing
Artist Collective at Westbury

I work in a figurative manner, meaning my work is not abstract. However, I am not interested in copying reality, but in a process which seems to be a blending of perception & imagination. I work in oils, soft pastel or charcoal, or a mixture of all three; I have also enjoyed collage, using discarded work which is then torn up & rearranged.
I focus on painting & drawing, working from what is around me – objects, flowers, interiors, or the work of major artists. For example, I made 45 drawings with ‘ Las Meninas’ by Velasquez as my starting point, starting off in a fairly conventional way but ending up as very personal pieces. I also made a series of drawings relating to the refugee crisis, which were exhibited at Westbury in a show entitled Migrations. I have had many one man shows at Westbury & taken part in several mixed exhibitions.
I have been at Westbury Arts Centre for 28 years, graduating from a temporary space for a month to what I consider the best studio in the house, with two windows overlooking trees. Before that I worked at home, when time allowed from earning money as a teacher and art therapist, & raising a family. However my ‘life in art’ began very early when I used to visit my grandfather in his shed, where he had set up an easel & dreamed of being an artist, never to be fulfilled.
I studied Fine Art at the West of England College of Art. Here I was very much encouraged by visiting artists such as Karl Weshke & David Inshaw. I then got a place at the Royal College of Art, where I did an MA in printmaking. My particular love at that time was screen printing, but after several years I returned to painting & drawing, encouraged by Dennis Creffield, who I met in Brighton and who I still believe to be one of the best British painters. Behind my training & the people who have encouraged me, I have in mind always the great artists of the past – Goya, Turner, Velasquez, Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso … knowing that all of us work only on the shoulders of giants.

Venue

Westbury Arts Centre
Foxcovert Road
Shenley Wood
MK5 6AA

Tel: 01908 568370
Email: marybarnes62@yahoo.com
Instagram: marybarnes62
Facebook: marybarnes62

Website: http://www.marybarnesart.co.uk

Special information:
Venue suitable for visits by school parties by appointment
Appointments available at other times during and after Bucks Art Weeks
Refreshments available
Easy car parking available
Practical demonstrations
Working studio where members normally create work during the year

Art specialisms: Drawing, Painting

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