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Tom Barnes

 
Watercolor on Canvas
Giclee Prints & Commissions Available

 
"Gathered Together Again" 30 x 40
 
Tom Barnes
"Dashfords Celebrate" 36 x 36
"Now Playing" 40 x 40
 
"In the Museum" 40 x 30
 
"Della Marie" 12 x 12 Watercolor on Canvas
"Herself" 12 x 12 Watercolor on Canvas
 
 
 
Tom Barnes
"Rita's Red Chair" 20 x 16 Watercolor on Canvas
"Sinoette" 12 x 12
 
"Dunde and Dame" 40 x 24
 
"Hermoine" 12 x 12 Watercolor on Canvas
"Olivia" 12 x 12 Watercolor on Canvas
 
 
Tom Barnes
Opus Black and White, 20 x 16 Watercolor on Canvas
 
 
"One More Round" 24 x 48 Watercolor on Canvas
"Del Arte" 24 x 48 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Pristine Justine" 24 x 48 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Misha Alone" 30 x 30 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Bette" 12 x 12
 
 
 
"Pretty in Pink" 12 x 12
 
"A La Opera" 30 x 30 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Dior Diva" 30 x 30 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Ursella" 24 x 24 Watercolor on Canvas
"Gypsy Princess" 24 x 24 Watercolor on Canvas
 
"Giselle at Rest" 30 x 30
 
"Lynette" 12 x 12
 
 
Tom Barnes
"Myra" 30 x 30 Watercolor on Canvas
 
 
"Lucy" 12 x 12
Giclee Prints Available
 
Any Tom Barnes original is available as a giclee.

 
Tom Barnes
"Evonia" Giclee
Tom Barnes
"Esmeralda's Black Hat" Giclee
Tom Barnes
"Estella" Giclee
   
Artist Bio

 

ABOUT TOM BARNES

Born in High  Point NC, Tom Barnes grew up in the pine forests and coastal plains of South  Georgia. In the early fifties, raised amongst the gators, mosquitoes, and  bourbon of South Georgia, Tom was dutifully packed off each summer, traveling  by train to Savannah where he spent two weeks with the twins, Lila and Bess…  may they rest in peace...

The two sisters insisted on taking the bus downtown everyThursday to  shop, dine out, and maybe see a movie. Early in the morning, a lengthy  discussion ensued as to what to wear. Completely coordinated in salmons, pinks,  baby blues, mint greens, or lemon yellow, the two ladies set out toting bus  tokens in their purses, and sporting hats with flowers (always with flowers),  gloves, costume jewelry, and pumps matching their outfits. The fragrances  exuded were thick with magnolia, lilac, and oleander. Stores like Adler's, Fine's, and Levy's preceded  lunch at Morrison’s, always topped off with steaming hot coffee and coconut  custard pie from Anton's. Roaming around the "city of parks," the  three often ended up in Telfair Academy, the only art museum Tom ever saw until  he was 16.
The combination of femininity expressed by the two grand dames, the  heady paintings and statues of the museum, and a gift from God for things  artistic, all came together in the "long neck ladies" which have  become Barnes' signatures. The attitudes and poses of the subjects express the  widest range of feminine emotion. The layers upon layers of brilliant  transparent watercolor in gambouge, prussian, sap green, azrilian crimson,  ochre and vermillion build to rich luscious color… and the touch of 14K gold  gives these decorative art pieces a sparkle that warms the heart and reminds us  of an era long gone…may it rest in peace…

In 1990, Tom retired from the corporate business world and began to paint. Self-taught, he works primarily in watercolors. His florals almost always are abstracted forms with the same intense color rendering of his figures…but the added motion of a passing breeze adds yet another element of excitement. Likewise, his landscapes capture the techniques of the Fauvists and are stylized with mountains, hills, plains and lush foliage. His still life subject matter usually captures a chair, a table, a window, a jar and simple pieces of fruit…they always capture a moment of repose and reflection, interrupted by something unknown.


 

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

"I am a watercolorist  with a strong sense of color, color theory and saturation of pigments. I layer  several colors of transparent washes in different hues to give a depth and  strength to the work. I use techniques such as lifting, salting, and rag  rolling to achieve the different effects on my papers. I have a palette of 13  colors that helps develop a theme in my paintings. I add splashes of 14 K  Liquid Gold Leaf to the finished product to give a special touch that is most  eye-catching at evening and in candlelight. I often outline my  pencil sketches with sepia, Prussian blue or indigo. I drag a clear water brush  across the line to soften it and begin to define shading and shadows. I brush  in gambouge highlights and then begin to wash over these effects with my  palette colors. I then work color on color, saturating the pigments to give the  deepest and most intense color. My styles vary depending on subject matter. I  am very expressionistic with florals, very representative with stills,  whimsical with the “long neck ladies” and almost story-book with the  landscapes. I am influenced by all manner of artists from Impressionists to  Modigliani to German Expressionists to Pre-Raphaelites. My most recent study  has been of Kandinsky, Schiele, and Klimt.
When I discovered the technology allowing me to paint on  canvas, I was captivated. The process of learning a new substrate has been  exhilarating. I am devoted to the effects of watercolor on canvas. And to my  delight, so have been my most longtime and faithful patrons. 
As to the creativity  expressed in the paintings you see, I suggest that only the Creator is  creative; that is, only He can bring forth something from nothing. It is  therefore my opinion that I am, as Tennyson explains, “a part of all that I  have met.” It seems that we as artists are simply taking what is already  created and rearranging the elements to come up with a line, a color, a theme  that is unique to our natures and personalities. The style of my painting is  unusual in watercolor circles. It is one developed over the last 20 years of  painting in earnest, changing and stretching, allowing who I am to dictate the  outcome. So it is very true to me that when people buy my art, they buy a  little of me.
The expressions you  observe are tell-tale snippets of my temperament: delight in the earth’s  abundant glories, peace with the life process, and excitement over what is yet  to come. There is not a lot of angst in my life and I hope that comes through  in my paintings. My most coveted response is when someone comes into my display  and says, “This stuff makes me happy!”"

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Mary Martin Gallery I is located on 103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401    843-723-0303
Mary Martin Gallery II is located at 143 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401
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Mary Martin has collections of art showing at the Andell Inn Kiawah Island, Bella Grace, The Vendue, the Harbour Club, and other venues. 
Mary Martin Galleries have been selected as the best galleries in South Carolina for eleven years in a row and in the top 20 galleries in the nation,  Also, selected as the best gallery by several local publications.