Ageing: What's art got to do with it?

Barry has been attending our Health & Fitness "I Create" classes for the past 8 months. He loves to paint with pastels and uses a wide variety of colours to bring his artworks to life.

To find inspiration, he explores different areas down south like Carrickalinga, Yankalilla, Normanville and Victor Harbour - oftentimes spending an entire day down there with his son.

“I will take notes, photographs, do some rough sketches and take them home with me to create my art.” Barry said.

From a very young age, it was clear that he was very artistically gifted.

“I’ve always been able to draw. I won a poster competition when I was in grade 4 or 5 and also won a national poetry competition in grade 7.” he said.

Around that time, his family inherited a property and were able to pay for Barry to attend art school.

“I started art school when I was 13 and when I finished up there, I worked at John Martin’s [John Martin & Co.]. Then, I went to Uni and was a teacher for 32 years - I always had a strong drive to teach.” he said.

Nowadays, Barry loves to spend time in his garage turned studio.

“I’ll go out there and my wife won’t see me for about 2 hours. She could make all the noise in the world and I wouldn’t hear her, I just go into my own world,” Barry said, laughing.

“She lets me paint as much as I like because she knows it stimulates my mind and gives me mental and physical strength and that’s what it’s all about.”

Aging: What's Art Got To Do With It-02

Image: Barry’s latest art piece that he has been working on for the past month. He thinks gum trees are fascinating trees as they are all uniquely shaped.

Barry lives with Parkinson's disease - a neurodegenerative disorder that causes uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

“I’m left-handed and it’s still my steadiest hand. I work my butt off and paint as much as I physically can,” he said.

“I get tired after about 2 and a half to 3 hours of concentrated work…however, I have found that when you enjoy what you’re doing, you go into a world of your own and you’re so focussed on colour and shape and distance and depth that you keep going as you want to be good at it.”

Throughout the past year, Barry has built many strong friendships while attending the I Create classes.

“I find this group very good as we have an understanding of each other and share ideas. I think art brings people together,” he said.

“It’s a wonderful little community and my goal is to continue painting and drawing for the rest of my life and become known for it.”

Barry is looking forward to having his art displayed at an exhibition in McLaren Vale, showcasing his work at our Carmelite gallery, as well as participating in the SALA Festival next year.