EXTENDED to WED. MARCH 30TH

Paintings by Suzy Barnard Exhibition: March 1-30, 2011 First Thursday: March 3rd, 5:00-7:30pm

Opening Reception: Saturday March 5, 5:00-7:00pm

Togonon Gallery is very pleased to present the works of Suzy Barnard. For the past seven years, Barnard exclusively painted the ships outside her studio window, a subject matter that presented itself serendipitously when she settled at Pier 70 in San Francisco. Barnard explains: “I was mesmerized by the particular light and weather conditions of the San Francisco Bay that create an ever-changing scene, shrouding and illuminating the ships and water in ways that continue to fascinate me. The ominous associations surrounding the shipping industry’s world -- environmental disaster, pollution, the global economic impact, etc., further absorbed me”.

As much as the ships are symbols of freedom and new horizons, Barnard has found the same freedom in her own expressions successfully portraying the romantic poetry of these nautical beasts conveying calm, fleeting moments, longing & hope for new horizons—all metaphors for the human condition. Acknowledging her important salute to the “ships of the trade” the Federal Maritime Commission has recently commissioned Barnard to paint a commemoration piece for their 50th anniversary, which now hangs in their Washington DC office.

Barnard completed her MFA in Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, CA and her Fine Arts undergraduate studies at Bristol Polytechnic and Southampton College of Art, England. She has exhibited in the San Francisco Bay Area and in England. Barnard lives and works in San Francisco and Berkeley.