But always happy putting paint on canvas.'

I have been painting for close to 35 years and in that time have participated in many exhibitions and won several awards for my work. I work mainly in oil but also enjoy mixed media, pastel and charcoal.

I have paintings in private collections in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia as well as overseas in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany and China.

The majority of my training was undertaken at Adelaide Central Art School but I also studied privately with several well-known South Australian artists.
I work from my studio in Mount Barker where I also conduct oil painting classes for beginners.

Although my work has always been heavily influenced by the early Australian Impressionists (Roberts, Streeton, McCubbin and others) I feel that over the last few years I have developed a greater ability to see things through my own eyes – imposing on all of my paintings my own view of how I feel about the subject matter. Sometimes this strays into a very abstract form but I am comfortable with that transition when it occurs. I sometimes think that formal training is a hindrance to producing good art.

As the wonderful Australian Artist William Dobell once said “learn your technique thoroughly. Immerse yourself in it, and then just throw it all out the window, and express what you feel”. Follow my journey!

Barry paints on Tuesday & Saturday at The Art Chatter Gallery!