ARTIST
LIZ BARBER
Marietta | GA
Liz Barber is a distinguished contemporary artist known for her light-infused paintings inspired by the ocean and water.
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AVAILABLE WORKS
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections drift into volumetric configurations. This effect captures the essence of nature and light creating an artistic metaphor that is opaque, airy, thick, and organic.
I pour colors onto the canvas and watch what happens, intuitively I edit in a manner similar to the impressionist mindset. There is a constant attentive awareness in me to create light within the work through color pairings and interactions. This is an emotional response to my surroundings. A moment is captured not as a pastoral landscape, but as the glow of light or movement of forms. My tendency leans toward the calm, soothing, organic application over the vigorous brushstroke.
Mixed media allows for more creative freedom and gives the materials a voice. I direct, they sing. The materials are manipulated and moved around in an effort to form the idea of the painting. Mediums are added to get the desired consistency and texture. I chime in to gather the idea together.
Translucency is created via different techniques and is usually the result of great experimentation. Water and other mediums are added to the materials to allow for spontaneous incidental reactions. I then use hard edges in the oil paint to edit, finding the gems in underlying layers. Mark-making in the painting serves as a resting place for the eye and adds diversity to the organic shapes in my work. I also use graphite and oil pastel as drawn elements.
The most common reoccurring theme in my work would be the ocean or natural elements and forms. The shapes serve as anchors for the mind to stop and reflect upon. They can be identified either as ambiguous or as recognizable forms based on what the viewer brings to the piece. I heighten some shapes by making them a focal point or lessen them by hiding them beneath other paint layers. Often I aim to create the sense of a pool of water or an image seen within a crashing wave.
Additionally, I have a pull toward distinctive color palettes at certain times of the year as the seasons change. I use either subtle or intense color interaction alternately to create depth or space. The overall process could be called a discovery as I am intuitively responding to shapes as they form whether intentional or as a happy accident.
BIOGRAPHY
According to the artist, she “grew up right on the ocean in Massachusetts, and it plays a huge role in my work.” She also captures the changing seasons of her native New England with incandescence and a soft palette of colors. For her method, Liz described it as varied. “I use ink, gouache, and watercolor to begin a piece,” she said. “These can be manipulated and moved around as I form the idea of the painting. I also use graphite and oil pastel as drawn elements. I love to use mark-making in the painting as a resting place for the eye and to add diversity to the very organic shapes used in my work. Translucency is created in many ways and is usually the result of great experimentation. Water and mediums are added to the materials to ‘see what happens.’ I then use hard edges in oil paint to edit finding the gems in the underlying layers.” The expressive mark-making in my work draws the viewer in, while layered materials and overlapping shapes create ambiguity. The voyeur finds, in my work, familiar forms and shapes which connect them with nature both directly and indirectly. The organic forms and shapes outline or drift into volumetric configurations. Revealed is a unique expression of nature.
CORPORATE COMMISSIONS
Sibley Hospital - Washington, D.C.
Mayo Clinic - Jacksonville, FL
The Four Seasons - Atlanta, GA
The Ritz Carlton Sarasota - Sarasota, FL
The Cove Atlantis - Nassau, Bahamas
Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA
Yale Hospital - New Haven, CT
Wailea Resort - Monkapu Beach, HI
Archbold Hospital - Thomasville, GA
Cosmoplitan Resort Casino - Las Vegas, NV
Athero Genex - Alpharetta, GA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Christopher Martin Gallery - Dallas, TX —2020
Addison Gallery - Delray, FL —2020
Studio Montclair - Montclair, NJ —2019
Pippin Contemporary - Santa Fe, NM —2018
Umstead Gallery - Cary, NC —2016
JF Gallery - Marietta, GA —2016
Thomasville Center Arts - Thomasville, GA —2014
Huff Harrington Fine Art - Atlanta, GA —2013
Gregg Irby Fine Art - Atlanta, GA —2008
Rutledge Street Gallery - Camden, SC —2001
V. Reed Gallery - Atlanta, GA —1999
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Keyes Art - Sag Harbor, NY —2019
Addison Gallery - Delray, FL —2015 - 2018
Pippin Contemporary - Santa Fe, NM —2015 - 2019
Pryor Fine Art - Atlanta, GA —2015 - 2019
Jules Place - Boston, MA —2013 -2019
Scope Miami - Miami, FL —2015
Marietta Museum of Art - Marietta, GA —2014
Palm Beach International - Palm Beach, FL —2014
Spotlight on Art Trinity School- Atlanta, GA —2001 - 2014
Huff Harrington - Atlanta, GA —2009 - 2014
The Story of the Creative - Long Island City, NY —2013
NY Columbus Museum - Columbus, GA —2013
Thomasville Center Art - Thomasville, GA —2014
Saks Fifth Ave Gallery - Atlanta, GA —2011
Thomasville Center Arts - Thomasville, GA —2011
Huff Harrington Fine Art - Atlanta, GA —2011 - 2013
Gregg Irby Fine Art - Atlanta, GA —2000 - 2009
Studio Montclair - Montclair, NJ —2008
Valdosta State University - Valdosta, GA —2008
Swan Coach House - Atlanta, GA —2007
PUBLICATIONS
Boston Magazine —Summer 2015
EXPOSE Art Magazine —March 2015
Artvoices Magazine —Dec. 2014
Studio Visit Magazine —Jan. 2013
Studio Visit Magazine —Jan. 2012
Spotlight on Art Brochure Cover —Feb. 2012
Atlanta Social Season —Spring 2011
Museums and Galleries —Nov. & Dec. 2009
Art in the U.S. —Dec. 2007
Eimsbuttler Wochenblatt —Nov. 2007
Southern Living —Summer 2002
Southern Living Weddings —June 2002
South Carolina Homes & Gardens —Nov. 2000