The Desert Speaks

The Murphey Art Gallery is thrilled to be reopening after 21 months of empty walls!

The art committee is excited to showcase the art of parishioner, Robert Barker. His show, "The Desert Speaks," will hang from December 12, 2021-January 6, 2022.

Robert Barker is a native of New Jersey and worked in New York City and Philadelphia as a graphic designer after graduating from Pratt Institute in 1970. He worked in a variety of design offices, including Hearst Magazines, Home Box Office, and various direct mail agencies. In recent years, he has taken up oil painting as his form of expression.

Ever the symbolist, Robert enjoys conjuring up imaginary landscapes. The most important image for him is the ever-changing sky. Its vastness dwarfs all human efforts.

The next challenge is color and the action of paint on canvas. Robert notes that most of his work at its midpoint is a disaster. Then, with some determination and reckless abandon, the paint gets rearranged and a finished painting arrives—not always what was expected but often a welcome surprise.