T Barny
T Barny delights in producing a sense of wonder with his
sculpture, teasing impossibly graceful figures out of the roughest
materials—especially stone, which he selects from quarries around the world.
“I have worked in almost every material, form, and scale, “he says, noting that he is always drawn back to stone, “the oldest material of Man, the one that I continue to find the most expressive.”
Among his most striking pieces are his many variations on the möbius strip, the looping curve that twists back upon itself so that its one side is also its other side (a line traced down its length will traverse “both sides” and end up at its starting point). This strange singleness of surface seems to defy logic,which may explain its appeal to artists like M.C. Escher and Jose de Rivera. T Barny’s versions seem almost to defy gravity as well, as sinuous loops reach up and hang suspended in mid-air.
T Barny’s other work includes wood carvings, stone wall hangings, primitive stone carvings, and fountain sculptures. He also produces bronze castings in limited editions.
Born in San Francisco in 1956, T Barny studied at Stanford and Brown Universities and graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught stone carving in California and New Mexico, and has worked as Artist-in-Residence at art centers in New York, Texas Italy and Greece. His work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections. It has been featured in more than 250 solo and group exhibitions in galleries worldwide. He has exhibited in Santa Fe since 1989.
