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International Art Treasures Web Magazine June 2006 |
Peter Barry
Canadian artist Peter Barry recently completed a solo show at the O'Connor Gallery in Toronto. Exploring his works one can't help but be reminded of the bold artistry of the French Impressionists. As the artist explains, "I love the impressionists, Monet especially. You can tell through my work that they have a very painterly effect and even though they are photographs they look more like acrylic watercolor."
"Eulogy to Monet is very much like one of Monet's pieces as he is famous for his water lily projects. I wanted to capture a little bit of that feeling in one of my photographs. I guess it would be my tribute to him." Peter describes his style as "pressure manipulation. As the photograph is developing and the chemistry that makes up the film, the emulsion, has started I add burnishing tools and pressure at different points in time to achieve that painterly effect that you see in the photographs." The pieces in the O'Connor show, "were taken in the summer of last year." Peter recalls that it was extremely hot. "It was about 34 degrees [Celsius]. They were taken in the wetlands project in the Donlands area. It took a few weeks to do this. I had originally driven north of Barrie to explore a few National Parks and drove all the way there 2 1/2 hours there and 2 1/2 hours back and nothing! I ended up with these taken down here [in Toronto]."
Peter discussed some of the pieces in the show. "Winter in the Park is close to home. I live near Allan Gardens and I took this in the wintertime. It's my favorite piece and there are a lot of geometric shapes within the piece. It is comprised of mainly cool blues. Blue is my favorite color. I like the way it flows, odd, given winter is my least favorite season."
"Cellulose Arise is very much like the Impressionists. It's quite abstract when you look at it close but if you stand a further distance away it actually comes out more."
"Explosion of Delight and Cellulose Arise were both taken in the late spring time. They both have an abstract contemporary feel up close and yet the paintings are more revealing as you step away. There is a lot of feeling and colors in these works."
"Irises are my favorite flower. It just happened by coincidence that I had Van Gogh's influence in my head from his well-known painting. Sometimes I don't really know until I'm doing them that the characteristics will come through."
"Sunflower Sunrise is more of a photographic exploration as opposed to some of the other ones such as Cellulose Arise, where they are more of a painterly look resembling an Impressionist painting. Sunflower Sunrise has a more photographic look. It is much more detailed and has more of a watery flow within the yellows. It's a very tight arrangement that seems to flow quite well."
"Awake in Pink was taken at the same time as another called Opening Passion. They were taken at the Royal Botanical Gardens in the Scarborough/North York area. They both feature relatively pink flowers with a stone in the background. They were taken in late summer. They aren't a series, they are separate, but in the show they work well on the wall together." The recent show was popular. Peter explains, "there are seven pieces sold out of the sixteen which considering this is my first solo show and no one knows me from a hole in the ground it seems to be quite successful." Future plans: "I am continuing to do my manipulations and plan to do a new theme. It will be a reflection series but I don't want to say much about it now other than it will be mirrors through spheres." Peter is a graduate of Sheridan College, Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and the University of Toronto (U of T). He said, "at the U of T I earned my Bachelor of Arts. I took photography at Sheridan College." A final comment on his premier solo exhibit, "The show at the O'Connor Gallery was my first solo show. I have been doing photography since 1989. I decided that this year I would branch out and expose myself publicly with my artwork. The show ran for an entire month. We had sixteen pieces of my most recent works up on the walls. Each individual photograph is a series of 10 actual works. I always give 2 to my family and friends and the other 8 are available for sale. They run the gamut of all four seasons: spring, summer, winter and fall were represented." Peter has some shows planned for the summer time including the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts Show. |
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