'Chroma: New Paintings' by Shona Barr

The Greek word for Colour, ‘Chroma’, in its most literal translation is defined as the purity of a colour and its freedom from white or grey in the natural world.

Bohun Gallery is delighted to continue their 2017 showcase of Scottish Art with a major solo show of new paintings by Shona Barr. The popular Scottish artist explores not only her native Aberdeenshire but further afield with a particular focus on Dorset. She depicts the dramatic landscapes, flora and fauna with characteristically daring colour combinations and broad, dynamic brushstrokes.

Shona Barr’s paintings reflect her continued interest in capturing and expressing the essential vitality of the Scottish landscape and climate, articulated through panoramic sea views and fields rolling into the distance. Her working practise begins with detailed watercolours painted ‘en plein air’ enabling her to absorb the atmosphere and catch the changing light which alters the colour and mood of the terrain. Over the years, Shona has found herself drawn back time and time again to working by the sea. There is constant change within the shifting tides, and the colours of the sea which are transformed from one moment to the next as clouds move past. In the studio, the final painting becomes a distillation of the key elements, articulating the sense of the place rather than describing it in detail. The brushstrokes play with the boundaries where abstract marks come together as a recognisable image.

Shona Barr graduated from Glasgow School or Art in 1988 where she was the recipient of the Landscape prize and the Armour Prize for Still Life. She has paintings in the permanent collections of Lillie Art Gallery, Prior's Court School and Strathclyde University, and corporate and private collections worldwide. She has been included in the Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute (David Cargill Award, 1989), Paisley Art Institute and exhibits frequently in galleries across the United Kingdom.