Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 2 No 4 April 2013

Barry Scharf
I have been an artist all my life and have like every other artist
made many works that I wish I never made. This is because
in my early years I was unskilled, unclear about direction and
meaning and without experience in life itself. Youth is filled with
energy, passion and devoid of life lessons, Expression often lacks
meaning and a clear vision. At the time I believed that the sheer
volume of work would eventually define the value and justify it’s
existence.
But now that I have lived long, and in retrospect see that there
have been many works that have made others pale, I am glad for
all those smaller ideas that lead nowhere and produced nothing.
Without them I would not have the clarity of vision I do today.
Age is wisdom only if one pays attention. Energy levels change with each year that passes, and I think
of what time I have remaining. What do I want to create in the limited number of paintings and
sculptures I have left in my life I think about subjects of importance in my life and seek to express
those topics in a way that encapsulates the depth and breath of my skill. I look to painting or sculpting
or digitally manipulating images by orchestrating symphonic compositions instead of some small
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Spring Buck by Barry Scharf