Artist of the Month

Artist of the Month: David Barclay

The Artist reception will be held on Friday, December 8, 2023 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Rushing and Standing Still: An American Collage

The paintings in this exhibition depict American images ranging from Yosemite National Park’s Lower Yosemite Falls in the west to Mohegan Island off the coast of Maine. In addition, it includes portraits of two iconic American cars.

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What medium(s) do you use for your art?

My principal medium is oil. I have used watercolors and acrylic paint, but I prefer oil paint because it is more flexible and is able to create certain effects that the other two mediums have difficulty achieving.

What is your background?

I began painting around age 50 under the instruction of Vitek Kruta, a gifted art restorer and artist. Since then, I have broadened the subjects that I paint and have shifted from acrylics to oil paint as my primary medium. In my youth, I loved photography. I bought film in 100-foot rolls and took as many photos as my part-time job could support. Those thousands of pictures helped me hone my composition skills and my appreciation for art.

How long have you been doing this type of art?

I began painting in 2003, and my primary style is realism.

What inspires you and how do you get started?

I am inspired by the natural world and very much enjoy capturing it on canvas. Many of my landscapes include water as a major visual element. I often paint reflections on the surface or clear water that enables the viewer to see the bottom of the stream or lake. I also particularly like painting classic cars.

Is there anything else you would like people who view your art to know?

My paintings have been represented in galleries in California, Connecticut, and Vermont and in a group exhibition at the New Britain Museum of American Art. In 2023, three of my paintings were featured in International Artist Magazine. My wife and I split our time between Massachusetts and France.