Joshua Barber at the Smith House

June 21st, 2010

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In July, the Arts Council of the Valley is proud to present Wooden and Paper Icons, a series of modern day paintings and drawings by Richmond-based artist Joshua Barber.  The exhibition will open with a public reception in the Darrin-McHone Art Gallery in the Smith House at 311 South Main Street. The opening reception is in conjunction with First Fridays Downtown on July 2 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view until July 30.

Barber paints personal icons and otherworldly landscapes by layering both delicate and agitated lines in pencil and chalk over rough, tactile painted surfaces. With poignancy and humor, the eighteen works of art featured at the Smith House collectively communicate the human story of both loneliness and togetherness. The paintings on wood and paper range from large-scale artworks, reflecting universal feelings shared by all, to small-scale works the size of a postcard, indicating the personal quality of vulnerable emotions. The artist explores these intimate moments in time with each abstracted figure he depicts.

All of the images stem from Barber’s belief that “We are all lonely. Each one of us is surrounded by a sphere of solitude that not even the closest intimacy can break.” However, though all people are lonely, this is not necessarily a negative experience. Barber explains, “When we’re alone, we pay attention. Small events take on deep significance and hold the answer that we wish we could share with the world.” The artist takes these sometimes awkward and sometimes secret moments and turns them into modern icons and so “makes light of the darkest corners.”

Barber’s paintings have been exhibited in major U.S. cities and internationally, including New York, Los Angeles, and the United Kingdom (London and Bristol). His work also has been exhibited at the prestigious Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s Art After Hours for the last three consecutive years. Scarlett Suhy-Pons of PONSHOP, an art studio in Fredericksburg, Virginia, wrote about Barber’s work: “I enjoy their purity, the freedom of the lines, and their nocturnal quality.” To learn more about Barber and his work, please visit http://www.joshuabarberfineart.com.

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