EXTENDED to WED. MARCH 30TH
Paintings by Suzy Barnard Exhibition: March 1-30, 2011 First Thursday: March 3rd, 5:00-7:30pm Opening Reception: Saturday March 5, 5:00-7:00pm
Togonon
Gallery is very pleased to present the works of Suzy Barnard. For the
past seven years, Barnard exclusively painted the ships outside her
studio window, a subject matter that presented itself serendipitously
when she settled at Pier 70 in San Francisco. Barnard explains: “I was
mesmerized by the particular light and weather conditions of the San
Francisco Bay that create an ever-changing scene, shrouding and
illuminating the ships and water in ways that continue to fascinate me.
The ominous associations surrounding the shipping industry’s world --
environmental disaster, pollution, the global economic impact, etc.,
further absorbed me”.
As much as the ships are symbols of freedom and
new horizons, Barnard has found the same freedom in her own expressions
successfully portraying the romantic poetry of these nautical beasts
conveying calm, fleeting moments, longing & hope for new
horizons—all metaphors for the human condition. Acknowledging her
important salute to the “ships of the trade” the Federal Maritime
Commission has recently commissioned Barnard to paint a commemoration
piece for their 50th anniversary, which now hangs in their Washington DC
office.
Barnard completed her MFA in Painting at the San
Francisco Art Institute, CA and her Fine Arts undergraduate studies at
Bristol Polytechnic and Southampton College of Art, England. She has
exhibited in the San Francisco Bay Area and in England. Barnard lives
and works in San Francisco and Berkeley.