The Northern Light collection is inspired by Bob’s memories of the Yorkshire mill towns that shaped his youth, the body of work is a series of tableaus that immortalise the light and shadows that have captivated him for a lifetime.
“Inspiration for a painting sometimes comes from the simplest of things...”
FOREWORD
For artist Bob Barker, Northern Light represents a lifetime of observations channelled into a collection more than a year in the making. The acclaimed painter, famed for his evocative representations of northern mill towns and his self-styled ‘Northern Impressionism’, takes us on a journey to the stone flags and cobbled streets of his youth, capturing the industrial footprint of such northern towns and cities. These tableaus serve as Bob’s visual memoirs, inspired by the childhood that shaped him and refined by eyes that have experienced life. “Light in the north transforms everything it touches…from the cobbled streets to the terraced house, mills and back alleyways…they have been bathed in this light for decades.” Artists throughout the centuries have marvelled at the light quality in place such as Venice, St Ives and the south of France; an assertion that Barker would not refute. He simply believes that the light in the north of England equals these well-trodden locations of artistic outpouring. Northern Light is Barker’s homage to his muse; the spectrum of light from a breaking dawn to the luminosity of a bright, full moon, all intrinsic features found amongst his compositions. He maintains that the natural light provides him with settings as reassuringly familiar as they are individually striking. Through the eyes of the consummate artist, the light “is very changeable, intensely dramatic, frequently intoxicating
and always inspiring.” It may also reveal Barker’s insistence that a great deal more shines forth from towns dominated by an industrial legacy than the average observer might credit. Where others see dull brick, soot-blackened stone and polluted skies, his artistic sensibilities see light and colour. “When I paint it’s almost – at least through my eyes – as if this northern light pours from my brush onto the canvas.” Wielding a near monochrome palette that is alive with dark, intense shadows and pure white light, allows Barker to create an immense depth within each piece. However, it is not just the light that makes these pieces of artwork stand out, it is the poignancy of the memories it evokes, the nod to day to day living, and the stories that drive this collection. A Yorkshire man born and bred, nostalgia spurs him to paint the early years he remembers with such fondness. Viewed in its entirety, the Northern Light collection illustrates and preserves forever key life themes and values. In capturing these moments in time, Bob has produced some of his finest work to date; a combination of the experienced artist painting from the heart, and paying respect to the north that made him the man he is today. “The echoes of my past become my future painting s.”
Cobbled Together
Signed Limited Edition Canvas on Board of 195 | Framed Size 33” x 33” | Framed £650
All In Good Time
Signed Limited Edition Canvas on Board of 195 | Framed Size 51” x 21” | Framed £695
No Swaps
Signed Limited Edition Canvas on Board of 195 | Framed Size 33” x 33” | Framed £650
Forging Ahead
Signed Limited Edition Canvas on Board of 195 | Framed Size 51” x 21” | Framed £695
Last Shift
Signed Limited Edition Giclée on Wood of 195 Framed Size 46” x 30” | Framed £1,250
Give Us A Light Mate
Signed Limited Edition Canvas on Board of 195 | Framed Size 42” x 35” | Framed £795
Northern Light Museum Show Limited Edition Portfolio
Window of Opportunity P art of the Signed Limited Edition Portfolio | Image Size 14” x 14”
It Wasn’t Us
P art of the Signed Limited Edition Portfolio | Image Size 14” x 14”
X Marks The Spot
Bin There, Done That
P art of the Signed Limited Edition Portfolio | Image Size 14” x 14”
P art of the Signed Limited Edition Portfolio | Image Size 14” x 14”
Portfolio of 4 Signed Limited Edition Prints
Edition Size 295 | Image Size 14” x 14” | In Presentation Portfolio £495 | Set of Framed Prints £1,195
Bob Barker Biography
Bob has been painting since he received a Christmas gift - an oil painting set at the age of 12. Immediately he was captivated by what could be achieved with a brush, some oil paint and a few small squares of hardboard; he used to paint on the reverse side because he thought it looked like proper canvas. Childhood memories of the mill his mother worked at as a weaver form the images he paints now; Bob loved the smell of the looms at the mill, talked to everybody in the spinning sheds, the burling and mending room, the winders and tuners, along with his grandmother who was the ‘cha’ lady there. With no formal training Bob has enjoyed painting in many different styles and with numerous subjects, developing and honing his techniques of brush and palette knife.
Although a Yorkshire man born and bred, during his youth Bob spent time in Cornwall. There he met two prominent artists (Keith English & Tom Gower) and spent hours watching them paint. Conversations with them made him believe he could be a professional artist. However, as life went on, marriage, children and a mortgage meant that painting remained as a hobby whilst Bob ran his own video and media company. His daughter-in-law now runs the business, allowing Bob to achieve his lifelong dream of being a working artist. “Nostalgia spurs me to paint by looking back to childhood memories with adult eyes; this allows me to be quite free artistically”
“The echoes of my past become my future paintings.”
The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2017. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission.
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