I’ve just completed the editing on a short documentary tour through studio of my friend Nina Barry. Nina is one of the few visual artists I’ve met who I consider to be truly talented. Generally, you meet “artists” whose work consists of broken hangers glued to a poster of the Monkees or of a metallic tricycle wrapped inch by inch in cut-up strips of Jane Austen novels — all symbolizing the loss of innocence or sex or the unknown. The artists rarely know what they’re saying, and when they pretend to, their concepts are usually hackneyed, transparent and poorly-executed.
Not Nina. She is a gifted and well-trained artist of the old-school. She paints people and landscapes and does nudes and knows all about her medium and physiology and art history and other contemporary work… all that stuff that you should know if you are going to call yourself an artist. Like anyone that is actually good, she strives to produce work of excellent technique coupled with compelling and innovative ideas. Form meets content — it’s basic but it works. You can check out more of her work on her website: NinaBarry.com
I shot this short at her studio in Boulder, CO last autumn. When I tried to edit it, I had massive technological malfunctions and I wasn’t able to complete it until recently. I think it came out decently in that it seems to showcase Nina’s tremendous talent and overall affability. Enjoy. WATCH Nina Barry [artist] HERE…
- Josh
