BARRY WOODS JOHNSTON

Barry Woods Johnston’s art is about human relationships both personal and interpersonal. Coming out of the highly abstract and prestigious profession of architecture, he evolved as both a dreamer and pragmatist. As an artist, he seeks to understand the stimulus of life itself, that which gives meaning and purpose. Decades before figurative art came back into vogue; he sought to integrate realism and modern motif. Both imaginative and realistic, his art transcends materialism, grasping the heart of what makes life worthwhile. It helps the observer to explore who we are in our lives as we consider where we’ve been and where we are going.

Johnston dedicated himself to sculpture after earning a B.S. in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design and in Florence, Italy. In 1988, he established a studio in Baltimore equipped for large commissions.

Numerous prizes endorse his ability to capture form and anatomy in motion. Known for his robust, gravity defying, energetic figures, one critic called him "A mystic in metal". Johnston brings to his work an innovative and daring imagination. His bronzes and marbles reflect a rich array of symbolism. Subjects are derived from mythology, religion, literature, psychology and the contemporary dilemma.