Artist Bob Barker
Yorkshire, 1954
Bob Barker grew up without interest or love for art until his twelfth birthday when his mother gave him an oil painting set for a birthday present, what he describes as "one of the best presents I have ever received." Starting there he has painted his whole life but it's only recently that Barker became a full time painter. Not far from his school his mother worked as a weaver and his grandmother as a tea lady, which developed his love of tea and the busy old-world atmosphere around the mill. He then spent a little time in Cornwall where he met two artists of particular importance to his life, Keith English and Tom Gower. Through conversations and sessions of watching them paint, he began to believe he could be a professional artist. Life moved along swiftly and he became married, bought a house and had children, developing his painting skill as a hobby rather than a profession while he supported himself and his family on his own business in video and media production, lasting over 20 years. Eventually his daughter-in-law succeeded him and took over the business, releasing him to pursue his life-long passion in fine art.
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