Spotlight Artist

David Barnes

Northeast
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

The precarious or uncertain nature of our lives is the subject of my work. This theme is mirrored in the construction of the artworks. Mine are relatively thin paintings with little underpainting and an economy of actual brush marks. The intent and cumulative effect, when viewed from a distance, is one of a solid image with weight, light, and three dimensions. On closer inspection, the few essential brushstrokes, made with restraint and speed, produce an image that appears to hover, either contracting into solidity or exploding apart.

The significance of the imagery is intentionally open-ended. I direct the viewer’s gaze toward the periphery, the ignored, and the after-the-act. Detritus, rubble, a hole in the ground, and glimpses of industrial architecture depict liminal spaces that subtly evoke violent change. The individual objects within the paintings—a puddle, a mailbox, a plane overhead—bring the viewer to the threshold of banality or collective anxiety.

My objective is to point to life’s precariousness, its transient nature, and its beauty.

Artist's Additional works

Works shared by the artist outside of their featured New American Paintings selections

Featured artwork
Featured artwork

Discover more artists from the Northeast

THE MAGAZINE

Explore our magazine to discover exceptional artists

Open magazine with text, modern illustrations, and a list of artists on a pink background.
View issues

Call for Artists

Submit your work for consideration

New American Paintings is a juried exhibition-in-print and digital, presenting the work of 40 emerging artists in each issue.

View competitions

Your gateway to new art

Discover tomorrow's art stars, today

Two books on a wooden table with a modern decorative sculpture in the background.

PRINT + EARLY ACCESS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$179/YEAR

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$99/YEAR OR $10/MONTH

Each issue of New American Paintings features forty artists selected through our juried competitions—presented in a beautifully curated, full-color publication. Subscribers receive six issues per year, plus exclusive online access to current and past editions. Are you a collector? Consider our premium subscription and receive our museum-quality printed publication + access to each new digital issue two weeks before its general release.