Kate Barry is originally from Christchurch and with a degree in illustration, printing-making and graphic design, Kate enjoyed a hefty career in the book publishing industry, focusing on the design and illustration aspects of this field, before returning to full-time painting.
Immersing herself in the visceral stimulus and raw physicality of paint, Kate’s works are an intuitive disassemblage of the confines of our constant digitally stimulated lives. Painting is an almost primitive, spontaneous response to our natural surroundings and sensory internal dialogue. Works explore traces of nostalgia and the innate emotional re-engagement with the energy of nature that is all around us. Through paint on canvas, she breaks through the periphery into a raw terrain of bold brushwork and vitality of colour. As we pass by we allow ourselves to be drawn in.
In the last year, Kate Barry’s prolific painting practice has gone from strength to strength. Completing multiple commissions, selling work online and through retail boutiques, paintings showcased on television and interior design magazines and having multiple finalist placings in national prizes. This new exploration into process is a natural step forward for Kate to challenge the status quo of her successful painting career and develop the accompanying overarching concepts.
