Hayley Barker facts for kids
Hayley Barker is an American painter known for her unique landscape artworks. She creates paintings that explore nature, feelings, and spiritual ideas.
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About Hayley Barker
Hayley Barker was born in Oregon in 1973. She studied art at the University of Oregon and the University of Iowa. She has shown her artwork in many places. These include galleries in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Los Angeles, California. Her paintings have also been featured in art magazines. Hayley Barker lives and works in Los Angeles today.
Her Artistic Journey
Hayley Barker grew up in Oregon in a creative home. Her father wrote poetry and stories. She was surrounded by books about art. This early environment helped shape her artistic path.
While studying art, Barker was inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement. This was a punk rock movement that supported girls and women. She also became interested in performance art and video. She later studied these at the University of Iowa. Her early works were dramatic and symbolic. They tried to turn difficult feelings into something beautiful.
After college, Hayley Barker focused on drawing. She then started painting the landscapes she is known for today. This change happened around 2016 when she moved to Los Angeles. She felt it was a natural step for her art.
What Her Paintings Are About
Hayley Barker's paintings show everyday scenes from nature. They explore ideas about spirituality, nature, and change. She uses many small brushstrokes on raw linen. This creates a mysterious feeling in her art. She wants to understand her surroundings better through her memories and imagination.
Color is very important in her work. She experiences synesthesia, which means she can "see" sounds or "feel" colors. This helps her see landscapes in a special way. She tries to paint how she feels, not just what she sees. Her art often includes ideas from earth-based spirituality. You might see paths leading to thick plants or stars in her paintings. For example, her painting Aquarius Moon, Valentine St. from 2023 shows this. Her 2024 exhibition "The Ringing Stone" explored moon and seasonal cycles. These cycles are part of the Wheel of the Year.
Artists Who Inspired Her
Hayley Barker was inspired by Ana Mendieta and the Riot Grrrl movement early on. When she started painting, she looked at artists like Pierre Bonnard and Peter Doig. She also found inspiration in the works of Gustav Klimt and Edvard Munch.
Important Art Shows
Hayley Barker's first solo show in New York was in 2020. An art critic named Barry Schwabsky wrote about her paintings. He said they show "spaces of passage," like moving from one state to another. He felt her art spoke of mystery and what lies beyond.
Her 2024 solo exhibition, "The Ringing Stone," was in Edinburgh, Scotland. A reviewer from Wallpaper* called it "One of the most beautiful shows." The main painting in the show featured a prehistoric carved stone. This stone is found on the island of Tiree.
In 2011, art critic Sue Taylor reviewed Barker's show "Cathedrals." Taylor wrote that Barker's paintings show a deep connection with nature. She compared Barker's work to that of Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent van Gogh. The "Cathedrals" show was inspired by the childhood diary of Opal Whiteley. Opal had spiritual experiences. Barker wanted to imagine this special way of seeing the world.
Solo Exhibitions
Hayley Barker has had many solo art shows, including:
- 2024 "The Ringing Stone," Ingleby Gallery
- 2023 "Last Morning at El Centro," CVG Foundation, Beijing
- 2023 "Laguna Castle," Night Gallery, Los Angeles
- 2022 "The Spider," SHRINE, NYC
- 2020 "The Grass is Blue", SHRINE, NYC
Group Exhibitions
She has also been part of many group art shows, such as:
- 2024 "Afterglow: A Collaboration with Night Gallery," Acquavella Gallery, Palm Beach
- 2023 "Clairvoyance," SHRINE NYC
- 2022 "Unnatural Nature: Post-Pop Landscapes," Acquavella Gallery, NYC
- 2021 "36 Paintings," Harper's East Hampton
- 2020 "New Beginnings..." Nicodim, LA
