Barry Johns: Being True to Self

Barry Johns is resident in Christchurch, New Zealand. His background includes having been a lawyer, vigneron, and more recently a published writer and poet.

Barry’s artwork reflects his imagination and creativity. His paintings have a contemporary focus on colours, shapes, and texture. They are well-considered: they have structure and meaning.

There is a strong sense of calmness and reflection in much of his work. This comes from having time for philosophical thought and quiet at this stage of his life. His paintings are exclusively acrylic on canvas.

When creating a new painting Barry will usually turn his mind to a title, but not always. The title to a work is intended to inform the viewer about what lurks inside the artists creative mind and what has inspired it. Barry prefers the approach of not being too specific in this regard.. Often the title will come to him as the work evolves. Sometimes the title will be as abstract as the work itself.

An example of this approach is his painting titled ‘ Vulcan Passed This Way ‘ which is inspired by the sight of damaged and burnt-out-buildings in parts of Christchurch city post the major earthquake of February, 2011. This work speaks of a fire- damaged shell left behind and still standing.. He has followed this up with paintings titled ‘ Vulcan #2 ‘ and ‘ Vulcan #3 ‘ using the same theme and another work titled ‘ Aftermath ‘.

What he has learned through his painting is that artists should be true to themselves and be realistic about what they do and not feel invalidated if any particular work is not recognised. It is beneficial to expose your work to the judgement of your peers and the public: what others think of your work helps you to define yourself as an artist. It is also important to know when a work is finished. Say what you want to say in the painting and then get out.