Gordon Barker
Gordon Barker was born in Gibraltar in 1960. His father was in the army so he moved a few times over the years until they finally settled in Northamptonshire when he was twelve.
Gordon has always been interested in art even from a young age, but it wasn’t until he came to secondary school that he was given the encouragement from his art teacher to paint and draw in many different ways, although in those days his work was very abstract. Although his art teacher wanted him to go to Art College in London he chose to start work instead.
On leaving school he continued to paint in oil, but he was always experimenting with different materials such as glass. Gordon had a few local exhibitions but also ventured to London with his work.
In 1981 he began to paint landscapes for the first time. Initially these were mostly sunsets and silhouettes, but in time he began to paint pictures with more colours and many different subjects.
In late 1983 Gordon sold his first painting to a recording company in Milton Keynes. This gave him the confidence to promote his work to a wider market. This was just the start. Over the next few years he sold about five hundred originals to companies like MTV Europe, The Gap and also many private collectors, many of these being commissions which have helped to develop his unique style of painting.
The landscapes he paints are mostly ones that he has created in his imagination. Gordon likes to ensure that the pictures are “busy” so that each time they are looked at the viewer notices something else going on. He prefers bright vivid colours that grab people’s attention rather than drab and boring.