About the Artist and Website

About Pádraig

Pádraig Barry is an artist with a background in anthropology and psychology. He never received any formal training in art, but practiced drawing in his spare time. For several years he never shared his work in public and considered it to be just a hobby. He considered taking his artworks seriously after some of his friends in Ireland suggested he should share his artwork and show it professionally. 

He took up photography primarily so he could use his photographs as a source of reference for his drawings and paintings. After working for a college newspaper in 2013, he started to consider photography more seriously after spending time around other photographers. He now considers his photography part of his art and as more than just a reference tool for his other works. 

He was born in Kansas City, but considers Belfast, Ireland to be a second hometown. His artistic inspiration primarily stems from Ireland, with West Belfast as the most influential location. His background in anthropology merged with his artistic aspirations through his fascination with the murals of Belfast, especially those in the Falls Road area. Pádraig considers the work of the Irish muralist, Danny Devenny, to be one of his greatest influences. 

Pádraig started his postgraduate studies in anthropology at Queen’s University Belfast. His particular area of study is in conflict, which has influenced his series in charcoal on “The Troubles”. His first experiences in Ireland were while volunteering for a youth work program. The first close friend he made in Belfast told him that he was “in his element”. It was at that point the Pádraig decided that Belfast was where he belonged. 

About the Website

One of Pádraig’s goals with the website is more than just to share his artwork. He wants to use his art to educate others in the things he studied. With his series on “The Troubles”, he hopes to merge art with his ethnographic research. When he started his charcoal series on “The Troubles”, he wanted to use it as a means to bring others into a discussion of the complex history of the conflict and the lessons that could be learned from it. Although the images were of the conflict in Ireland, he wanted them to reflect issues that occur around the world. Particularly in the United States today, he hopes that people will see the reflections in his work. 

Any visitors to the website are welcome to contact the artist and share their thoughts.