Adrian Barber — Winter
Mountains frosted in snow sparking magical childhood memories, serve as inspiration for the stunning new works of Adrian Barber. His paintings will be unveiled on Friday in his appropriately titled exhibition – Winter.
Adrian only needs to walk out his back door, and it’s all there: Nestled in the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington, he finds no greater joy than “waking up in the silvery dawn to the muffled silence of snow”. Adrian pours this excitement onto the canvas. “You think you know the landscape, and then it’s totally transformed. These paintings capture the patterns of the snowfall, which both simplifies and decorates the land.”
Almost photo-realistic in detail, with some works spanning an 18-month creative process, these thickly layered acrylics are not location specific. Rather, they are an exquisite amalgamation of scenes and memories of snow-covered kunanyi, and other Tasmanian peaks, that Adrian has hiked and explored.
However, Winter also veers into unexpected emotional territory. A handful of works created from dark and broody sepia washes explores our island’s rugged shoreline. Rapidly executed in style, and a subtle blend of light and dark, these paintings take the viewer on a very different journey: “We are all witness to something we must face. And, as you stand on the solitary cliff looking out over the vast ocean, there is nowhere to hide.”
Adrian Barber’s Winter exhibition opens at Handmark on Friday March 31 and runs until April 14.