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Lin Barrie Art

by Lin Barrie
(Zimbabwe)

Lin Barrie, Artist Statement

I graduated after a three year Fine Art Diploma in Printmaking at Durban Art College, with Painting, Ceramics and Sculpture as further disciplines.
I then gained experience in the world of commerce as a textile designer, travelling extensively to Europe and the Far East for business and pleasure.
In 1991, after returning to Zimbabwe from a trip to the Far East, having explored Chinese brushstroke painting and Indonesian batik techniques, I became a full time fine artist.

My various experiences and travels have resulted in a love for ecosystems, nature, different cultures, textiles, cultural decoration, dance and beadwork, all of which I now observe in the Mahenye and related Changana communities of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where I spend much of my time.

I believe everything is interconnected; animals, plants and people all entwined in the web of life. Although people move more and more across borders separating families, I think that family relationships ARE still as important as they used to be - technology allows us to instantly communicate, share cultural beliefs and strengthen conservation of culture and ecosystems, if we care enough to do so…
My paintings are a reflection of the inspiration that I get from observing life in action, movement and colour. I believe that the abstract can only be realized after careful and loving study of the reality. Using acrylics and a tool inherited from my father, a palette knife, I try to capture immediacy, mood and emotion.