The Artist - Wayne Barry - Watercolourist

About Me

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Starting off painting twenty nine years ago in the western Riverina district of NSW, I basically had to teach myself in my early years. I was encouraged by the ready market in river and bush scenes for transferring teachers, police and bank officers. Since moving to Old Bar then Forster I have had more opportunity to seek guidance from some of our better known artists; June Young, Barbara Farnham, Lyn Butchart, Ronald Revitt, Robert Wade and more recently Herman Pekel, John Wilson, Grace Pelag, Barry and Lucy McCann, Chan Dissanayake and Alvaro Castagnet.

 

My lifetime fascination for water is reflected in my preferred medium. If I’m not painting I’d settle for surfing, scuba diving, kayaking or even patrolling the beach (surf life saving), so lawn mowing misses out somewhat.

 

I particularly admire the watercolours of Hans Heysen, Alvero Castagnet, Herman Pekel, Joseph Zbukvic and Ross Paterson, and was lucky enough to attend the Mitchell School of Creative Arts summer 2004 where I met up with the latter four over tennis and beers. Unfortunately Hans couldn’t make it.

 

I have painted mostly landscapes of late and I only use artist quality paints and prefer Arches and Saunders internally sized, 100% rag papers, 300g and 640g. My paintings have spread far and wide around the globe, I only wish I could afford to go and visit them occasionally. Still life, mixed media, portraiture and other media all await me now that I’ve extricated myself from my ‘real’ job.

 

‘Tis the journey.