Born in 1965, Kathy Barber studied painting at Whitecliffe
College of Art & Design in Auckland, following a long and
distinguished career as an advertising creative that culminated in
her role as creative director at Ammirati Puris Lintas in New
York.
Barber's recognisable work is a technically adept and
emotionally charged abstract response to landscape. Using multiple
layers of opaque paint and exploring the Renaissance notion of
chiaroscuro (the use of shading and contrast between
light and
dark to effect depth), Barber's works exhibit a quietly
simmering energy that promotes reflection.
Mentored by prominent Auckland painter Matthew Browne, Barber
has held numerous solo and group shows in New Zealand and Australia
since 2000, and was nominated as a finalist in the 2002 Waikato
National Art Awards and the 2009 New Zealand Painting and
Printmaking Award.