Barry Freeman's railway paintings capture the very essence of the grandeur of the steam locomotive at work. He conveys the romance and the elegance, the scenery and the speed- all with breathtaking reality.
Barry John Freeman, BA, GRA, FRSA was born in Northampton in 1937. He was educated at Northampton Grammar School and later, as a mature student, at the City of Leicester College of Education.
He served for ten years in the Royal Navy, followed by several years in the electronics and Aviation industries before becoming a teacher in 1971. He taught drawing and painting for eighteen years before early retirement provided the opportunity to become a professional artist in 1989.
An avid railway enthusiast since childhood, Barry's combined love of art and railways is reflected in the detailed paintings in which he now specialises. He works almost exclusively in oils and, on average, a picture takes at least two months to complete. His insistence upon accuracy means that a similar amount of time is spent on research on location and in his extensive library of books and photographs.
Barry is a full member of the Guild of Railway Artists and is a former Deputy President of the Guild. His paintings have been reproduced in many forms including an Isle of Man stamp, collectors' plates, book covers, postcards, greetings cards, jigsaw puzzles and calendars, as well as Fine Art Prints, which can now be found in many parts of the world.
He has featured in numerous Railway and Art publications and has written several articles on painting for The Artist' and the Artist and Illustrators' magazines.
Hobbies include classical music and travel. Barry and his Wife Mary, who is also his business manager, have to date visited over a hundred countries worldwide.
Barry has featured on BBC radio and has appeared on both Anglia and Central television in connection with his work. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1995.
"Not all railway artists can combine technical
verisimilitude with an air of grandeur in this way.
In short Barry Freeman seems to know exactly
what the romance of steam means to many of us."
Railway Modeller Magazine
Giclee Prints: All of our prints are produced in-house enabling us to ensure the very highest quality. The giclee printing process produces archival quality, fine art prints using a sophisticated printing method that provides superb colour fidelity and fine detail - crucial to reproduce accurately Barry's paintings. The water-based pigment inks that we use are independently rated to be light-fast for more than 75 years. All prints are printed on 270gsm satin paper.
