Once upon a time there was a young man who wanted to carve his
own path in the world. As a youngster he loved to make sand castles
on the beach, but no one recognized them as castles because they
were his first abstract sculptures.
“I would get all my friends on the beach to help me make these
big shapes out of sand, big mounds of sand, then I would work on
carving away at them until the waves came and washed them away,”
said T Barny, a resident of Alexander Valley and an internationally
renowned stone sculptor.
The youthful exuberance that led T Barny to create abstract sand
sculptures has never left. For three decades, the sculptor has
created works of art that invite you to join him in a world of
flowing stone. Under his hand, massive blocks of stone are
transformed into graceful mobius curves that seem to defy gravity
and reflect the magic and wonder in our world. The forms he creates
from stone are a synthesis of thought and reflection, alchemy and
science.
T Barny creates art in marble, calcite, quartz, onyx, fluorite
and even bronze. His extensive travels – which include carving
stone in the quarry where Michelangelo chose his marble – have
given his work an international flavor and confidence that always
surprises and delights the eye. Abstraction is his fascination, and
power tools are his forte, as he releases inherent forms out of
materials he sources from all over the world.
To celebrate 30 years as a sculptor, T Barny declared that 2011
is “T30” for his work. Never one to shy away from a numerical or
alphabetic pun, he chose September 10 for his event. The calendar
notation 9-10-11 adds up to 30 and his new book is subtitled
“Talent, Tenacity, & Time,” utilizing the initial ‘T’ to
describe the theme for each decade of his work.
The T30 celebration will include a special edition coffee table
book, food by Zin Restaurant, music by the Linda Ferro Band a
silent auction of T Barny memorabilia and a live auction of six T
Barny sculptures. The event is a benefit for Alliance Medical
Center, a community health center with facilities in Healdsburg and
Windsor.
T Barny chose Alliance as the beneficiary of his celebration for
a variety of reasons. “One of the blessings of a small, rural
community is the opportunity to serve others,” he said. “I am a
member of the board of directors of the Geyserville Fire Protection
District and previously served as a volunteer firefighter.” And,
his wife and partner, Melinda, has recently undergone extensive
treatment for cancer.
Serving as a firefighter and helping Melinda through her
treatment have given T Barny an appreciation for the value of good
healthcare, including the special care Alliance Medical Center
provides to the working poor in our community.
“If we can’t keep ourselves healthy, we can’t give back to our
community,” he said. “Thirty years of sculpting stone has taken a
toll on my body and I’m lucky to have access to healthcare so I can
keep carving. Others are not so lucky. I’m proud to support
Alliance Medical Center.”
While his work is known around the world, some of T Barny’s most
loyal collectors live nearby. A Sebastopol collector (who was a
little shy about being identified for this story), has a 66-inch
tall T Barny piece that he commissioned prior to the artist’s last
trip to Italy. Using Italian marble, T Barny created a custom piece
that’s installed at the collector’s hilltop home.
“I can’t think of better words than fantasmagoric, fantastic,
amazing, magical to describe T Barny’s work,” said the Sebastopol
collector. “And, I’ve always been captivated by the curious
properties of the mobius strip, something he incorporates into most
of his work. I find his works powerful yet elegant and extremely
captivating. I can’t help but admire it everyday I look at it, and
touch it every time I walk past it.”
Healdsburg collectors Scott Monroe and Bill Carney are avid
collectors of T Barny’s work, and own 17 pieces of various styles
and stages of T Barny’s career. “His work is unique, there’s
nothing else like it,” says Bill. “He’s the stonework equivalent of
MC Escher. He can liberate things from the stone that you didn’t
know were there.”
Scott adds: “These are some of our most prized possessions.
Every day I look at his pieces and enjoy them. When the light hits
his artwork, it’s mesmerizing. And, he’s one of the nicest people
we know.”
In addition to stone, T Barny occasionally casts his work in
bronze. He uses Bronze Plus, a unique foundry in Sebastopol that
casts works of art for professional artists. Casting and patina
expert Matt Hart works closely with T Barny to achieve the ideal
finishes and patinas. Samples of T Barny bronzes will be on display
at the T30 celebration event.
The T30 event will be held in the beautiful Alexander Valley at
the T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens. Visit www.tbarny.com
to find out more about the event and see photos of his work, as
well as videos of the artistic process. You can also check out “T
Barny Sculpture” on Facebook.
What is T30?
A celebration of 30 years of stone sculpture
A release party for T Barny’s book, titled Three Decades of
Excellence
A benefit for Alliance Medical Center
At T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens, 4370 Pine Flat Road,
Healdsburg
Saturday, Sept. 10, beginning at 5 p.m. sharp
Catered by Zin Restaurant
Music by the Linda Ferro Band
Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com
More details at www.tbarny.com
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