“John Barber has utilized extensive research and extraordinary talent to capture on canvas the mood and essence of the water culture of Chesapeake Bay.”


The artist left his hometown of Danville, Virginia in 1965 to attend Richmond Professional Institute now Virginia Common- wealth University. Barber had a fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts which he won based on the art he was doing in high school. After four years at VCU, Barber left and took a job as a graphic designer. The gentleman he worked for owned a 26-foot wooden hulled double-ended ketch designed by the famed Murray Peterson of Camden, Maine. She was called the Wild Duck and the owner kept the boat on Jackson Creek in Deltaville. Barber sailed with his friend out of Del- taville for several years until the owner moved the Wild Duck up to the Great Wicomico River. In the early 80s, John and his wife Kathy bought a summer home near Bertrand, Virginia near the mouth of the Corrotoman River and Towles Point. The couple was invited by longtime friend and collector of John’s originals, Brian Dillistin, to take a cruise on the buyboat Callis Brothers to the Urbanna Oyster Festival. Captain Terry Haydon owned the buyboat and she was a 62’ traditional buyboat built in Palmer, Virginia in 1938. The boat was used in pound net or “trap” fish- ing, during WWII as a buoy tender, and later as a buyboat and for hauling shell and planting seed oysters. The trip on the Callis Brothers started John’s love affair with buyboats, deadrises, skipjacks and the history of watermen. The Barbers bought a series of boats, both power and sail, with their last being a 32 foot Grand Banks trawler which was moored at Fishing Bay Harbor Marina in Deltaville. Soon after- wards they purchased a unit at Jackson Creek Condos. Spending much of his time on the Bay, John learned about watermen, their boats and the people who built their unique craft. In the process he became an expert in his own right. Well known author and expert on the Chesapeake Bay, Larry Chowning said: “John Barber has utilized extensive research and extraordinary talent to capture on canvas the mood and es- sence of the water culture of Chesapeake Bay. His paintings are a museum unto themselves that are a reflection of his own love and passion for the Bay region. John knows the Chesapeake Bay and that knowledge flows from the body of work that he has dedicated his life towards. Everyone has a favorite painting but John’s body of work is the real gift to us all and what makes him the most accomplished bay artist of our times.” John visited with watermen and boat builders capturing their


images on canvas and the history of the people and scenes he was painting. John became acquainted with legendary Captain Johnny Ward who is revered among watermen. His descendants still work the waters in the area. John tells of an instance where he was given permission to paint a picture of the buyboat Ward Brothers. When Barber came to sketch the boat, it was freshly painted white. But, John painted his picture to include the tra- ditional rust stains always seen on that type of boat. The owners expected to see their boat gleaming white and were disappointed at first when they saw the rust but agreed it was more true to life. Ironically, the artist has no formal training in painting. He received his degree in and worked as a graphic designer for ten


The House & Home Magazine 25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100