Press Release for Nocturnes - Watercolor and Pastels by Arthur Barnes
January 20th - March 24th
| LeQuire Gallery Presents: Nocturnes by Arthur Barnes Through March 24th Opening Reception, Saturday, January 20th, 2006 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. 4304 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, TN 37209 615 298-4611 “In the dark, the world is reduced to large shapes and values. Colors are muted and details become obscured. Light punctuates the dark, whether it’s a blaze of neon or the soft, welcoming glow of a lamplight glimpsed through a window. Many artists paint on location during the daylight to accurately render what they seem but only a few have ventured out into the night to record the mysteries and beauty of the dark. Arthur Barnes is one of the few artists who shares his experiences with painting en plein air at night”. Deborah Christensen Secor The Artist’s Magazine October 2005 Arthur Barnes is from Medina, New York and has painted for more than 20 years. Barnes paints directly on site always working outdoors, and sometimes from the security of his truck. Light from his vehicle or street lamps is typically the only light by which he works. A sketch artist, muralist, and painter, Barnes enjoys translating the enchanting light and shadows of night. Barnes explains that painting in the dark is more about values than anything. The small watercolors he paints are done rapidly under conditions that limit his options –Barnes occasionally flicks a lighter to see what color he is using. He uses white paper as the foundation for his watercolors, however for his pastels night scenes Barnes uses the reverse process starting with middle or dark tone Canson paper and drawing with light colors first. Unique in all Barnes work is his signature use of light. Typically each piece only has one source of light that becomes the focal point of his dark landscapes such as a streetlight. Barnes likes the idea that through his paintings ordinary subjects like a streetlight or a traffic light become beautiful sources of color. Electric lights too, like neon signs and kitchen lamps, reflect unique color to his canvases as well as natural lighting like the moon or setting sun. The key for Barnes success is that he has trained his eye over the years to see the colors of darkness. Growing up in Medina, Arthur Barnes was exposed to little art or art education. He learned fundamentals while studying under Nashville artist Juanita Greene Parks who studied under Reginald Marsh and Robert Brackman, but Barnes feels he is mostly self-taught. Arthur Barnes shuttled between New York and Nashville for about 16 years in the 1980’s and 90’s, with his first exhibit in Nashville in 1984 at the Under the Bridge Restaurant (under the Shelby Street Bridge) owned by Charlie Fenton. Since then, Barnes has had numerous exhibits in the New York area and several commissions including a pen and ink rendering of the Erie Canal which was presented to then New York State Governor, Mario Cuomo and permanently hangs in the Governor’s Mansion in Albany. Though he has exhibited consistently over the years, Barnes has been reluctant to sell his original work preferring to build what is now an extensive collection. Until recently, prints were all that was available of the massive nocturnal series. The exhibit at LeQuire Gallery is one of very few exhibits in which Barnes has made his original works available to the public. |
LOCATED AT 4304 Charlotte Avenue • Nashville, TN 37209 • tel. (615) 298-4611
for more info contact: Lequire Gallery
or Telephone: 615-298-4611