Tree of Love

Product Description

Tree of Love by Paul Barnes

9.25″ x 9″, 13″ x 13″ x 1.75″, Acrylic and Plaster on Board

Current Exhibition at Flower Pepper Gallery: 4th Year Anniversary Show from December 19th, 2015 to January 19th, 2016

Previous Exhibitions at Flower Pepper Gallery:
- 3rd Year Anniversary Show from December 6th, 2014 to January 6th, 2015
- The Brave Ones from October 10th to November 5th, 2014
- Pandamonium from June 7th to 27th, 2014
- Of History And Hope from April 5th to May 2nd, 2014
- Mad Hatters from November 23rd, 2013 to January 24th, 2014

Artist Biography:
Paul’s mythical characters are allegories of human emotion. Against a landscape inspired by the natural surroundings of his native north of Scotland, narrative threads are woven around the interactions between his anthropomorphized figures, often greatly inspired by his three children, the purity, innocence and curiosity of their being and the infinity of their imagination. His paintings are characterized by a warm, muted palette with a textured and aged appearance, reminiscent of Italian fresco painting, in a space free from the boundaries of time or culture.

Paul lives and works in the north of Scotland. His paintings are shown in notable galleries in the UK, Europe and USA and have gained him international recognition within the ever expanding New Contemporary Art and Pop Surrealism movements.

‘From a world of extended metaphor and gentle strangeness, Barnes captures our imaginations and depletes our adult resistance to fantastical possibility.
The artist’s work is informed by the legend and magic of folklore; an influence apparent in this childlike imaginary of gentle, foggy, creatures in half waking dream states.’ – Marieke Treilhard

Solo Exhibitions:
2013
‘Akin, (two man show with David Schofield)’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2012
‘Nocturne’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

2011
‘Happy Valley’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘All Creatures Great and Small’, The Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland

2009
‘Fable’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2008
‘Come Wander With Me’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘A Winter’s Tail’, The Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland

2006
‘Trouble In Mind’, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

2005
‘The Open Eye Gallery’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2002
‘The Open Eye Gallery’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

1999
‘The Open Eye Gallery’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2015
‘Like A Virgin’, Sacripante Gallery, Rome, Italy
‘Nightmare In Wonderland, A Tribute to Tim Burton’, Distinction Gallery, Escondido, USA
‘LAX/DTW’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘LAX/LHR Thinkspace/Stolenspace’, Stolenspace Gallery, London, UK
‘Summer Exhibition’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
’10 Year Anniversary Exhibition’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Storybook (curated by Michael Cuffe)’, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA

2014
‘LAX/TXL with Urban Nation Berlin’, Thinkspace Gallery, Berlin, Germany
‘Timrous Beasties’, Smithy Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
‘Of History and Hope’, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA
‘Summer Show’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Pandamonium’, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA
‘The Brave Ones’, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA
‘Aqua Art Miami’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘On a Small Scale’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
‘Winter Exhibition’, Smithy Gallery, Blanefield, Glasow, UK
’3rd Anniversary Exhibition’, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA

2013
‘Wild Rumpus: A Tribute to Maurice Sendak”, Pop Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
”Mad Hatters”, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA
‘Christmas Exhibition’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Post Its 9′, Giant Robot, Los Angeles, USA
”Wild Rumpus: A Tribute to Maurice Sendak”, Pop Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
”Mad Hatters”, Flower Pepper Gallery, Pasadena, USA
‘Summer Show’, Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly, Invernesshire, Scotland
‘Christmas Exhibition’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘The Art of Humour’, Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly, Invernesshire, Scotland
‘Wider Than a Postcard’, Breeze Block Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
’13′, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
‘Beyond the Sacred’, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA

2012
‘Winter Exhibition’, Smithy Gallery, Blanefield, Glasgow
‘On A Small Scale, Winter Exhibition’, Ope Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Winter Exhibition’, Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland
‘Post Its 8′, Giant Robot, Los Angeles, USA
‘Oniric’, MondoPOP Gallery, Rome, Italy
‘Summer Exhibition’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Beyond the Sacred’, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
‘Wild at Heart: Keep Wildlife in the Wild’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Cartoon Network 20th Anniversary Exhibition’, Murphy Design, San Diego Comic Con 2012

2011
‘Winter Show’, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen, Scotland
‘Blood’, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
‘LAPX’, Thinkspace Gallery/Together Gallery, Portland, USA
‘Picks of the Harvest’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, Culver City Art Walk
‘Baker’s Dozen- Idioms Show’, Gallery Nucleus, California, USA.
‘Northern Lights’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Rivet Gallery’, Rivet Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, USA
‘POP Love’, POP Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
‘Santa Muerte’, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
‘Rock Trust Postcards Charity Show’, , Edinburgh, Scotland
‘On a Small Scale, Winter Show’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Winter Exhibition’, The Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland
‘Winter Show’, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, Scotland

2010
‘A la Carte’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Born Free USA, A Cry For Help’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Crazy 4 Cult Customs’, Gallery 1988, San Francisco, USA
‘The Next Generation: A New Chapter in Contemporary Art’, London Miles Gallery, London
‘Movers & Shakers 2′, Ronin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Love Conquers All: Art For Equality’, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
‘Santa Muerte’, Sacred Machine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
‘ Charity Auction Event’, FEESA: Feeding South Africa,
‘Winter Exhibition’, The Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland.
‘Curating the Farm’, The Yard Gallery, Nottingham, UK
‘Aberdeen Artists’, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen, Scotland
‘Painted Words’, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2009
‘The Painted Word’, The Lang Byre Gallery, Banchory, Scotland
‘Art Basel’, Art Basel, Miami, USA
‘Christmas Show’, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland.
‘The Scottish Show’, Panter and Hall, London
‘The Death of Vivisect Playset’, Gallery 1988,, Los Angeles, USA
‘Movers and Shakers’, POV Evolving Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

Artist Website: http://www.paul-barnes.com/

Artist Interview with Flower Pepper Gallery on Jan 4th, 2016:
- How would you describe your own artwork?

A lot of the time my paintings are like playful narratives using nature as the theme (sometimes they are just portraits) painted in a classical style with multi layers of plaster and glazes using a muted palette.

- Is there a story behind this painting? What inspired you to create this painting?

Yes, the story is about offering love and it not being accepted. The title of the piece is a play on the title of the 50′s song ‘Sea of Love’ by Phil Phillips.

- What kinds of things inspire your work?

Mostly my experiences in life and trying to figure out how to become a better person and how best to live in a more harmonious way as a human being on this planet. Everything else stems from that. My children inspire me hugely every day, as well as nature, folklore, music and my local landscape.

- Can you talk about your creative process?

Sure. I usually start in my sketchbook, often recording little moments of what I’ve been experiencing in my life at that moment…my relationship with the world, within nature, experiences and inspiration from my children, loved ones, friends, animals, my environment, etc. These form little pictures in my head and I start drawing and working out how best to capture the vibe I’m imagining.

- Who is your favorite artist?

I always have to say Paul Klee when I get asked this, even though I have 1000′s of favorite artists. I saw a major show of his work at the Tate Gallery when I was 17, when I’d just started art college and it had a huge impact on me. I felt a deep connection to his visual language, humor and poetry, the pure simplicity to the extraordinarily complex nature of his technical skills and composition. His inspiration has been very important to me. I love him.

- What’s the one thing we should know about you?

I’m mostly nocturnal. As I look after my children in the afternoons it means I have to work at night, 9pm-5am. I’ve done this for about 10 years, but later this year my youngest starts school so I’ll be able to work 9-5. Although I love the peace and quiet of night and am inspired by it, I am now ready to work in daylight hours.

- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was always told I was going to be an artist from around the age of 5 as I was quite good at drawing so that was all I ever wanted to be. I didn’t know what kind of artist so I went through phases of wanting to be a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, tattoo artist, printmaker, etc, until I went to study graphic design/illustration at art school and I then knew I wanted to be a painter.

- Coffee or tea?

Coffee.

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