Barry Scharf

I am an artist that has over my lifetime explored and expressed the experiences of life through my painting, sculpture. I am interested in those directions of expression that best communicate the concepts of a life immersed in the exploration of creative theory and spiritual awakening. To live fully, a life of excellence guided by heartfelt emotion and capture those experiences within my artworks.

History follows:
At 18, Barry enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at many bases throughout Europe. It was then that his interest in art became profound. While in Italy, he visited Venice and other cities, overwhelmed by the wonderful paintings, architecture and sculpture of the Renaissance, set the stage for what he would be his life's work. In 1969, Barry studied at East Carolina University in North Carolina. He met his teacher and lifelong friend Guggenheim Fellow Edward Reep. Studying painting with Reep until his BFA in1973. Next Barry went to Otis Art Institute in L. A., California on a Scholarship. There he won the prestigious Hancock Park Art Award for excellence in painting. Barry got his MFA in 1975 marking the beginning of his professional artistic career.

A summary of his accomplishments follow.

Master painter, sculptor, and digital artist with a 40+ year history of professional exhibitions in galleries and museums.
Included by a 6 member jury to the 2006 Bellevue City Biennial, one of only 40 accepted works out of 527 submitted from a international call for submissions. Because this was a major important show Barry was Interviewed by 'This Is Your City', TV show.

3 time Guru Award finalist in the artistic category of competition in Photoshop Digital Art, 2001, 2003, and 2005 hosted by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.

Professor of digital art and creative theory, 2D and 3D design, digital painting, and photo manipulation from beginning to advanced photography techniques at The Art Institute of Seattle from 1996 to present. As a Photoshop master, Barry taught at SIGGRAPH 2007, The largest and most respected convention on animation.

In 1995 he was selected by the King Arts Commission as a support evaluator to review local Museums of Art, art centers and other funded projects. For two years Barry evaluated and reported to the commission on implementation of funding.

Before moving to the Northwest, he lived and worked in L. A. (1975-1993 there he developed a reputation for his leading edge artworks. A highly focused painter and sculptor, Barry enmeshed himself in the L.A. scene. His work won awards and was collected and reviewed by museums and art critics.

In 1980 he and others founded the L. A. Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), a C.E.T.A. gallery and project designed to make artists a force for community renewal. The C.E.T.A. project was hailed as a significant influence in the revitalization of L. A.'s inner city. The project created low-rent studios that drew artists and architects into formerly unoccupied buildings. Over the years LACE has gone on to become one of the most successful art projects in L. A. history.

Barry also had art commissions at Warner Brothers Studios. His paintings were included for the film 'Time After Time'. Other art commissions included paintings and sculpture for numerous TV shows as well as commercial artwork for CBS and game graphic design for Nova Logic an early digital computer game company.

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