pure joy

My recent work is the result of the struggle I have trying to make my representational paintings fit into the contemporary art world. I am now exploring how the air around the subject can affect how it is perceived and how I can portray this with paint.
We see the subject because of the way light reflects off each surface on its form, but the light is not only reflected but also refracted as it passes through the air surrounding the subject. The thought of light being bent and broken as it passes through the air, which has the effect of some distortion and chromatic dispersion, sounded like a fun thing to paint.
Our memory of the subject is also fleeting and can also be subjected to a glitch or unexpected interruption.
The use of acrylic paint to create this piece helps with my struggle to make my work look a little more modern.

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Barry McCann
Barry’s interest in art emerged as a young adult during school and it wasn’t until he enrolled in the Canberra School of Arts in an introductory course in watercolour that his appetite for art began. He stumbled upon a book about the life and works of John Singer Sargent and this has influenced him ever since. He has studied with many leading artists and in 2000 he began painting fulltime.
His work has been hung in numerous exhibitions and art prizes including the “Archibald Prize”, The Art Gallery of NSW, “The Kilgour Prize”, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, and “The Mortimore Prize” in Dubbo and the “Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize”.
He continues to pursue the “perfect image” that he sees in his mind’s eye with hope that he never gets there.