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Bob Barker
Here Yesterday
Canvas edition of 195
Image 20¾" x 26" Framed £565
as time goes by Bob Barker's evocative new collection goes on tour
black and white and all shades in between and just add splashes of colour ", said Bob. "I build up layer upon layer, and each one is thinner. I use a tiny amount of paint pigment thinned with a lot of different oils, which keeps the layers transparent and lets what's underneath shine through. This makes the paintings look like they are lit fromwithin and allows me to create real depth - even in dark, shadowy corners." His method produces a captivating and often unex- pected feel. In Into Every Life A Little Rain , for example, the inner light makes the rain seemwondrous and magical rather than wet and cold. In Here Yesterday , it gives a sense of carefree confidence in what could otherwise be a lonely scene, and in pieces such as Just Chips and Whale Of A Time , it creates palpable energy. Going deeper Bob also uses other classical techniques, such as Ciaro-
It only takes a glance at Bob Barker's paintings to be instantly transported back to the days when childhood was a time of simple pleasures. His new collection can't fail to tug at the heartstrings. With a wistful, almost ethereal feel, the six pieces beautifully capture Bob's nostal- gic memories of his early years growing up in Yorkshire. "After school I used to walk to the mill where my mother worked, and I still remember the lovely smell of the looms and all the people I talked to there", he said. "As an adult, I see old weaver's cot- tages, mills, cobbled streets and
Yorkshire stone flags virtually onmy doorstep. The inspiration for my work is their history and my memories, and when I paint I'm looking back at my childhood through adult eyes". The predominant greys of the oil paintings are infused with a wonderfully luminous and translucent quality, so that far from being colourless and gloomy, every scene glows with vivid life. One of the ways that Bob creates this enchanting effect is through his own take on the classical Grisaille method. "I use the same principle but in- stead of overlaying colour, I use
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FINE ART COLLECTOR AUTUMN 2012
AUTUMN 2012 FINE ART COLLECTOR
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