HOMEWARD BOUND

About

Ben Oakley Gallery is proud to present the first Solo exhibition in the UK by painter Barry Bish.,
A self taught artist, Bish has been working in oil for over 20 years, his work is made up of colourful dabs of paint squeezed directly from the tube onto the canvas, building the image up layer by layer creating rich and heavily textured paintings that have a naive and nostalgic feel about them. They reflect his own experiences and style with the warmth of the Californian sun where Bish resided and exhibited for a number of years. Painting commissions for and on Demi Moore, Janet Jackson and Farah Fawcett to the gritty reality of growing up in Woolwich South East London where he was born in the early 60's. As a teenager Bish worked as a fairground hand at Fun fairs and travelling circuses as they settled seasonally in his local town. All these inspired observations can be seen in this fascinating and unique body of work, from tall ships, tattooed Sailors, & Teddy Boys to scenes of classic London and it's shady underworld characters.