Shawn Barber is a quiet man. When you get the opportunity to spend some time with him you realize that he is intensely reflective and thoughtful about the work that he does. In 1995 he faced a turning point in his life and his career. He decided to take matters into his own hands and get serious about the art that he created. His blended technique of realism and expression capture life and emotion in a way that is incredibly refreshing.

Shawn, being tattooed himself as well as being a tattoo artist helps to inform the stories he tells through paint. He latest collection consists of tattooed portraits of tattoo artists that he admires from all over the United States, as well as some tattoo studio environments and still-lives.  The above portrait being my personal favorite, of two brothers who are not only tattoo artists on opposite coasts, but twins. This work in progress still needs the brothers actual tattoos painted in but the gestures and expressions between them read firmly of familial taunting….each brother egging on the other, as brothers often do.

Immersed in tattoo culture, Barber finds inspiration daily. Memoir Tattoo is the space that he shares with girlfriend and renowned tattoo artist, Kim Saigh. They both tattoo and paint in this hidden Los Angeles space. Its a rich environment of creativity. He’s making the last marks on his latest body of work that needs to be in NYC by next week. Extremely prolific, he paints roughly 100 paintings a year. If you do the math, that’s finishing a painting every 3 to 4 days. There are no days off when you spend your life doing what you love. Although he admits that he’s gotten into a really great routine, he is planning a little break this year after delivering this current show. Usually he creates 2 to 3 solo shows a years, and participates in between 4 and 10 group shows, not to mention countless commission works.

Barber’s ability to paint skin, and tattooed skin at that, is impressive. Drawing from the greats like Van Dyck, Sargent, and Velasquez you can see how seriously he takes his craft. His reverent portrayal of artists shows the intimacy and insight that makes Barber smarter than the average low brow illustrator.  Methodically painting various positions of motion on top of each other adds  a dimension and depth to his work. Like a masterful sketch, he catches and contains on canvas the spirit of the thing he’s painting. Even his still life work speaks volumes about character and craft. Like a film about making a film, he weaves what’s there with the possibility of what comes next.

If you find yourself in NYC Saturday April 24, from 6 -9pm, get to the Joshua Liner Gallery for the Opening of Tattooed Portraits: Chronicle.

Words by Barbie Brady, photos by Sidney Bensimon