Barry Herniman

 Barry Herniman is a full-time artist who has spent many years painting landscapes and seascapes both in the studio and en plein air, accompanied by his ever-present sketchbooks. 

Watercolour remains his favourite medium, valued for its immediacy, transparency and the unpredictable beauty created as colours mix and mingle on the paper. Back in the studio, he also works extensively in acrylics.

Landscape is Barry’s first love, but his subject matter is wonderfully varied, ranging from dramatic coastlines and rural scenes to portraits, bustling cities and steam locomotives. For Barry, much of the excitement comes from working directly in front of his subject – whether perched on a coastal cliff, surrounded by countryside or capturing the energy of a busy street.

Travel has been a lifelong passion and an important influence on his work. Barry lived in South Africa, travelling extensively across the continent and experiencing extraordinary landscapes including Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta. A later six-month, 16,000-mile journey through South America introduced him to another remarkable range of landscapes, cultures and historic sites, including the ancient Inca cities and citadels.

Today, travel and painting remain closely intertwined. Barry works throughout the UK and abroad, giving demonstrations, tutoring workshops and leading painting holidays.

Whatever the location or subject, Barry’s work is driven by the pleasure of observation and the challenge of capturing a place as it is experienced: its light, atmosphere, movement and character, with the freshness and spontaneity that have become central to his painting practice.

When I prepare to paint a scene I want my painting to evoke a special creation of Time and Place and to connect that with the viewer.