Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeline K Barry.
Hi Madeline K , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m so glad to be here! I was raised in Greenville, SC, but I often came to Atlanta for concerts or cheap flights. I never dreamt I would call Atlanta “home”. I had dreams, instead, of traveling the world, living in places that felt as foreign as the language sounded.
I grew up in awe of my mother’s craft closet, knee-deep in “How To Draw” books from the school library, but the thought of becoming an artist never crossed my mind. I started a non-profit in Greenville as a high school student, which played into my passion for corporate event coordinating. At age 19, I made the decision to pursue my dreams of living in Europe and made plans to move to Belgium to work in the non-profit world as an event planner for an international artists’ collective. I sold everything I owned and settled in a village outside of Brussels in 2018. It wasn’t until I arrived for my first day of work at the non-profit that I realized there had been a grave miscommunication and that there was no “event coordinator” position available in the organization. They were under the impression that I would be working as a full-time artist as a member of the collective. I had put all my eggs in this Belgian basket, so I jumped in headfirst. I asked a team member to mentor me, began taking classes at a local art school, and found a studio space I loved.
After two years of classes, exhibitions, and live painting, I was forced to leave Belgium due to changes in local immigration laws. I relocated to Atlanta simply because my wonderful sister was willing to take me in as a broke emerging artist. I painted as a therapy to recover from the move, which was quite heartbreaking for me. I released my first collection of work a few months after moving to Atlanta, and without totally realizing what that meant, started my own business. I now work full-time as a commission artist, live event painter, and muralist all over the southeast, and feel so privileged to do what I never knew I wanted to, but now love so deeply.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t say it was a smooth road, since it involved moving 7 times in 3 years to follow this dream. The other big struggle for me has been navigating a career that has no manual. As is true of many careers, the art world is constantly evolving. It is vastly different between countries, cultures, and subcultures. To learn sales tactics and business administration while simultaneously striving to find your artistic voice is an undertaking that requires a willingness to ask questions, fail, and try again for years on end.
The biggest struggles in this journey as an artist have been marriage and motherhood. I am so wildly blessed to have two amazing children but it has been such a humbling process to figure out how to live as an artist and a mother simultaneously. My identity has completely evolved since becoming a mother, and my worldview has shifted drastically as well. I have more I want to say with my work than ever before, but I have less time than I’ve ever had either. It’s a wild time to paint between nursing sessions, nap times, and all that is required to care for myself and my inner artist.
Another large struggle I have worked to overcome is the rules of religion and how they connect to art. I attribute all of my artistic ability to God- I truly learned how to paint from spending time with God. But when I started my career, I believed that “good” art was art that was made for the church and for ministry. I thank God for the hours of therapy, amazing role models, and discovery that I have walked through to discover God has abundantly more for my work and life than “religion” deems possible.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve closely observed women my whole life- my mother, her friends, my aunts, grandmothers.
I have always been mesmerized by their ability to move from one identity to the next as life demands. One moment they are warm hostesses, the next they are passionate advocates for change. They celebrate a friend’s pregnancy even as they mourn their own miscarriage. They care for their friends so tenderly, then transform into demanding career women as they enter the office. Sexy and brilliant. Emotional and stable. Nurturing and driven.
This concept of female identity completely enraptured my mind from a young age and I’ve been seeking to explore it through my work ever since.
My mixed media portraits portray the deep emotions that come as a result of living as a wildly complex creature in a culture that continually asks women to be less complicated. I paint vibrant abstract backgrounds contrasted with dark charcoal to reflect the contrasting characteristics we all hold within ourselves. Often layering in natural elements and florals, I draw attention to the idea that we are constantly blooming, evolving, and moving between the many identities inside each of us.
I feel really proud that I’m capturing real women in real life. My goal is always to give women a place to feel seen and understand that what they’re feeling isn’t crazy. It’s complex and beautiful. I’ll never “arrive” but I feel proud that each day I paint, I get closer to capturing real raw womanhood in it’s true form.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’ve always been drawn to a very feminine expression and color palette, but for years I have struggled to know how to convey it. I started my career painting lots of florals and dabbled in abstracts trying to find what felt accurate to what I was trying to convey. None of it felt right, so it’s been years of discovery to find that raw portraits of women are the most accurate way I can capture the female experience.
Pricing:
- Commissions range from $280 – $4,800. Pricing available upon request
- Mural pricing starts at ~12/sq ft
- Original work available at madelinekbarry.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.madelinekbarry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelinekbarry
- Other: https://www.saatchiart.com/madelinekbarry
