(American, b.1947) David Bareford, born January 1947, began his study of art while in high school in Warren, New Jersey under the instruction of Lawrence Von Beidel. By the time of his graduation in his senior year, David had won two awards in a local art show. He continued his education at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois where he studied for two years.
While at Wheaton he primarily studied metal sculpture with guest instructor Donald Seiden of the Chicago Art Institute. In 1970 Bareford graduated with a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.
After graduating from college, David returned to New England and began his career as a watercolorist. He concentrated on painting outside, studying the movement of light and its ever-changing effects on a subject. The rich, transparent quality of watercolor lends itself well to his study of light and shadow.
"I enjoy the challenge of watercolors because of the changing relationships between the colors. It's a fluid medium, so the paint doesn't dry exactly the same color or value as when it is applied," said David in an interview in 1972.
He continued, "I paint paintings, not pictures. The primary concern of a picture is representation - to show just what something looked like. But the primary concern of a painting is expression - to show the action and vitality that are presented in the atmosphere of the place. Even though the painting may not look exactly like the scene itself, it may convey better what it was really like. I want my paintings to be interesting whether they are viewed near or at a distance."
His work was soon included in the American Watercolor Society's Traveling Exhibition, where he quickly gained national recognition. Bareford received numerous awards for his watercolor paintings as he continued to exhibit his work in such acclaimed juried shows as the American Watercolor Society and the National Academy of Design Annual Exhibition held in New York City.
After several years of successful study in the medium of watercolors, David Bareford turned his attention exclusively to oil painting. Bareford embraces the principles of Impressionism, but he remains most interested in the paint surface: the paint itself. He recently commented about plein-air painting, "for it is right in front of your subject that you see, without consciously thinking about it, light. " It is this gifted ability to transfer beauty and light onto canvas that we celebrate in David Bareford's paintings. He sees that which is beautiful, and responds to this beauty totally. He is spiritually, and hence artistically, moved by his subjects.
"I am responding to what I am seeing. I get in touch with the real contrasts in nature and what is going on outside. When you paint outside, your eyes are way more sensitive than a camera. I might feel some lavender over there, so I put it in. I try to capture the quality of my subject, as I saw it, and what it was that appealed to me. If I can only capture what I am seeing, it will be beautiful."
Bareford's distinctive style incorporates traditional themes and contemporary subjects. He paints, as it was, when he saw it. About his work, David comments, "The term "inspiration" is overworked and doesn't apply to what I try to accomplish. I work at painting; I don't wait for inspiration." His answer for his success in painting, "long hours, a lot of second tries, and an unwavering committment to excellence, meeting my own criterion."
It is David Bareford's profound ability to capture natural beauty in a work of art, which has gained him overwhelming success as an artist and a painter. The essence of his creative spirit remains his thirst for the splendors of harmony in both form and color. He likes to paint from life around him. He came here because he loves New England and its rich subject matter.
"I paint things I feel are beautiful. Sometimes I'll watch the fishing boats coming in for the day in the afternoon sun. The sun will be gleaming on those old boats, making the greens and reds and oranges of their hulls vibrant - simply beautiful in the light. At that moment, those work boats are beautiful."
Certainly it is the vitality of his paintings, which captivates and enriches his broad audience.
EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS (Partial List)
National Academy of Design: Watercolor'75, oil '82
American Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition
Allied Artists of America
Barbara Vassilieff Award
Charles Roman Award
Inveresk Award
National Arts Club
Quester Gallery, Annual One-Man Exhibitions Beginning 1989
Mystic International, Mystic Seaport Museum, '86 '89 '90 '91
MEMBERSHIPS
Copley Society of Boston
American Society of Marine Artists
Allied Artists of America
Rockport Art Association
American Watercolor Society
New Jersey Watercolor Society
COLLECTIONS
David Bareford's paintings can be found in fine private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. A partial list includes:
Sears Collection, IL
Fleet Bank, Boston, MA and Hartford, CT
World Trade Corporation, DC
Otis Elevator Company, CT
First National Bank of Central Jersey, NJ
I.B.Meyer Plastic, NJ
American Telephone & Telegraph, NY
New Jersey Bell, NJ
David Bareford is exclusively represented by Quester Gallery. A full-color brochure of the artist's works is available upon request from Quester Gallery at (203) 629-8022 or .
