Shona Barr RSW (b 1965) is a Scottish artist whose work vibrates with energy. Barr’s loose, colourful brushwork and her deeply-felt inspiration from the natural world, make her one of the most exciting and evocative artists in Scotland.
Most of Barr’s paintings begin in watercolour outside, au plein air, where she seeks out the colours, light and essence of the landscape and flora. These smaller works are the basis of Barr’s work in the studio, where she creates large, impressive canvases that retain the freshness of her surroundings. It is Barr’s rare, bold and direct approach, successfully capturing hidden aspects of place, that makes her paintings so captivating.
Shona Barr graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1988 and became an RSW in 2023.