Meet Beth Barker | Abstract Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Barker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to create a job where I could work my own hours and that I could enjoy doing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My paintings come from a need to constructively express my emotions. I suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorder, aimlessly painting helps me step away from the stresses of the real world and my mental illness. I can escape into paint and colour and technique, exploring paint freely and making a mess like I did when I was young. To date, I am most proud of exhibiting my works with the Louis Joel art gallery in Altona, Victoria in 2019. These days, when not mucking around in the studio creating new artworks, I run ‘paint-n-sip’ classes for children and adults. I’ve gotten to where I am by never giving up, being flexible with my goals and aspirations and genuinely loving what I do. The most important thing I’ve learnt was from my friend Katherine Wells – “When it comes to abstract, don’t think, just do!”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out to Catherine Wells and Corey Barnett for inspiring me to start painting as an abstract expressionist artist. I remember asking how Catherine painted without worry of ruining the finished product and she told me “with art, don’t think, just do!”

Website: www.splashartsmelbourne.bigcartel.com
Instagram: splash_arts_melbourne
Facebook: @splashartsmelbourne
Other: Email – splasharts@outlook.com