The paintings of Barry James Lent are an exploration into the space between dreams and day to day reality. Personal obsessions, troubles and aspirations are given free license in his work. There are no plans or studies made before he commences work, only blank canvas and the need to express. With a blank mind he allows his subconscious to create the first draft of what the picture shall become. The airbrush is his primary painting tool, citing the immediacy of the instrument as the perfect means to quickly capture feelings in a visual manner, although some traditional brushes, paper towels and fingers are also employed as needed. The resulting works intentionally walk a tightrope between the raw and polished states of completion, in varying degrees of balance, depending on what the work dictates. Some influences are the surreal visionaries such as Ernst Fuchs, Francis Bacon, Zdzislaw Beksinski and H.R. Giger, as well as a lifelong interest in the esoteric. Raised in a working class family, Lent is self taught and has received no formal education in the arts.
Beginning his professional artistic career as a tattoo artist in 1997 in New Haven, Connecticut, he was afforded the means to experiment with art full time. As a member of the New Haven Arts Council from 2001 - 2003 he participated in the city wide studios exhibits for 2002 - 2003 with graphite and colored pencil illustrations. He became self employed as an freelance illustrator and tattoo artist in 2003 after having his work exhibited extensively in various tattoo publications. During the next few years painting quickly became his passion and main focus.
By 2012, a small group of patrons from abroad were collecting his original works. With this, and after more than a decade of experience painting and illustrating for musical acts and independent magazines, Lent decided to launch the Devil's Design Co. website and online store. Here were made available moderately priced merchandise, posters and prints of his artwork. The success of this venture has continued to grow and allows him to focus solely on his art.
In 2014 Lent began working with various esoteric/occult authors, having several original works and illustrations reproduced in their subsequent publications. He created an original painting directly onto a guitar for the Dean Guitar Company's Six String Masterpiece Series, to be shown in a worldwide traveling exhibit alongside work by other popular artists and designs created by musical icons such as Ozzy Osbourne and Kirk Hammet of Metallica. Lent's guitar is now on permanent exhibit at Dean's U.S.A. Headquarters.
After years of building an audience base without often exhibiting in public, early 2016 saw Lent have his premiere solo exhibit featuring 40 works in The Flatz Gallery in Westchester, New York. The opening for this show was a fantastic success with over 400 visitors within the three hours that the artist was present. He has since been invited to show at galleries Daedalus Studi in Italy and Salon Arcano in Spain. He is currently a member of Arts Westchester Organization, Katonah Museum Artists Association, Peekskill Arts Alliance, and Blue Door Art Center. He currently resides in Westchester, New York.
Beginning his professional artistic career as a tattoo artist in 1997 in New Haven, Connecticut, he was afforded the means to experiment with art full time. As a member of the New Haven Arts Council from 2001 - 2003 he participated in the city wide studios exhibits for 2002 - 2003 with graphite and colored pencil illustrations. He became self employed as an freelance illustrator and tattoo artist in 2003 after having his work exhibited extensively in various tattoo publications. During the next few years painting quickly became his passion and main focus.
By 2012, a small group of patrons from abroad were collecting his original works. With this, and after more than a decade of experience painting and illustrating for musical acts and independent magazines, Lent decided to launch the Devil's Design Co. website and online store. Here were made available moderately priced merchandise, posters and prints of his artwork. The success of this venture has continued to grow and allows him to focus solely on his art.
In 2014 Lent began working with various esoteric/occult authors, having several original works and illustrations reproduced in their subsequent publications. He created an original painting directly onto a guitar for the Dean Guitar Company's Six String Masterpiece Series, to be shown in a worldwide traveling exhibit alongside work by other popular artists and designs created by musical icons such as Ozzy Osbourne and Kirk Hammet of Metallica. Lent's guitar is now on permanent exhibit at Dean's U.S.A. Headquarters.
After years of building an audience base without often exhibiting in public, early 2016 saw Lent have his premiere solo exhibit featuring 40 works in The Flatz Gallery in Westchester, New York. The opening for this show was a fantastic success with over 400 visitors within the three hours that the artist was present. He has since been invited to show at galleries Daedalus Studi in Italy and Salon Arcano in Spain. He is currently a member of Arts Westchester Organization, Katonah Museum Artists Association, Peekskill Arts Alliance, and Blue Door Art Center. He currently resides in Westchester, New York.
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Recent publication appearances
Qliphoth Journal IV - Quintessence Transmutation Press 2014 Chaosphere Magazine vol.8 2014 Qliphoth Opus V -Sirius Limited Esoterica 2015 Vxit Urut Nag - cover art Sirius Limited Esoterica 2015 Sabbatica Vol. II - Sirius Limited Esoterica 2015 Salon Arcano, permanent online exhibit 2015 - present Chaosphere Magazine vol.9 2015 Lil Az "h" Az Lil - Poster/page art Sirius Limited Esoterica 2016 Qliphoth Journal Opus VI - Sirius Limited Esoterica 2017 |
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Recent exhibitions
2014 - Created an original painting for the Dean Guitar Co, U.S.A. for the six string masterpiece collection and traveling exhibit, now on permanent exhibit at Dean U.S.A
2015 - invited to show original work at H.R. Giger Tribute on the first anniversary of his death at Dedalus Studi Cultural Association, Teramo, Italy
2016 - The Otherworldly Art of Barry James Lent solo exhibition at the Flatz Gallery, Peekskill, N.Y. March 1-31
2016 - Tenebrarum exhibition with guest artist Barbara Doherty at the Field Gallery, Peekskill, N.Y. May 21- June 25
2017 - The Alternate Self Exhibition with 36 artists at Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers New York February 11-March 11
Big Ideas in Small Packages Exhibition at Blue Door Gallery March 17-April 22
2014 - Created an original painting for the Dean Guitar Co, U.S.A. for the six string masterpiece collection and traveling exhibit, now on permanent exhibit at Dean U.S.A
2015 - invited to show original work at H.R. Giger Tribute on the first anniversary of his death at Dedalus Studi Cultural Association, Teramo, Italy
2016 - The Otherworldly Art of Barry James Lent solo exhibition at the Flatz Gallery, Peekskill, N.Y. March 1-31
2016 - Tenebrarum exhibition with guest artist Barbara Doherty at the Field Gallery, Peekskill, N.Y. May 21- June 25
2017 - The Alternate Self Exhibition with 36 artists at Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers New York February 11-March 11
Big Ideas in Small Packages Exhibition at Blue Door Gallery March 17-April 22
