Jo Barry

(b. 1944)

Jo Barry is a British printmaker and etcher whose work is deeply inspired by the landscape and natural rhythms of the English countryside, particularly the New Forest where she lives and works. Born in Kent, she studied art at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design before taking up a teaching post at the Byam Shaw School of Art. In 1981 she left teaching to pursue her own artistic practice full-time. Barry has exhibited widely across the United Kingdom and internationally, including repeated appearances at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. She has also shown work in galleries in the USA, Norway, Australia, and Japan, and her lithographs and etchings are well regarded for their evocative sense of place and atmosphere. Her preferred medium is etching and aquatint, used to depict woodlands, meadows, and seasonal changes with meticulous attention to detail. Barry’s imagery often portrays the shifting moods of nature, from quiet winter scenes to the vibrant light of early morning, reflecting her belief in the unpredictability and excitement of the printmaking process itself. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and has served as its Vice President. Her studio in the New Forest is both her workplace and source of inspiration, where she continues to create prints, watercolours, and drawings that resonate with observers for their lyricism and sensitivity to landscape.