I met Trisha Barry about a year ago, as she was finishing up a photography project in Gardener, she told me that she tells stories through her photographs. The project in Gardener had intrigued her because one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the country was closing up shop, laying off all the workers,and going out of business. She got into the factory and documented everything, talking to the workers, watching them at their craft seeing them leave on their final days, and as I heard her tell this story I too became intrigued. What other stories did she tell? A year with a farmer, six months at sea with a fisherman.
Trisha Barry tells stories through photographs, and as I type this blog I realize I can not tell her stories better than her. So here is a clip from the story she will share for Pecha Kucha Night on Sept 13th.
TWELVE MONTHS WITH A NEW ENGLAND FARMER
“It was the first snow fall of the winter that took me to the country roads of Warwick, MA to photograph. It was the old farm equipment all strewn about covered with snow, the unusual old barn, and what looked like discarded possessions everywhere that made me stop. Out of nowhere, a man appeared. He had piercing blue eyes, a white beard, and a worn hat with old nails, one on each side turning the brim up. He was dressed in farmer jeans and a flannel shirt. An instantaneous connection was made. I knew at the very moment I met him, there were a story to be told, and a friend to be made. His name was Ken Hubbard.
My curiosity led me to go back repeatedly and learn more. Discovering more with each visit, realizing as much character I saw in his face he had in his soul. Everything had a purpose, a history, and nothing was thrown away…”
photo courtesy of Trisha Barry. © All Rights Reserved
Artist Bio
Fine art photographer Trisha Barry focuses on people. Her photographic essays are less about portraits of people but more about portraits of life. She states…“Everything and everybody has a history and a story, and my passion has led me to telling these stories, these “life portraits”, artistic documentations of people and life, images that preserve that moment in time, that “disappearing presence.” Motivating intuition that inspires meaning is the driving force behind her work.
Graduating from Mass College of Art with a degree in Fibers her early years were spent exploring the possibilities beyond the loom with different fibers creating sculptural pieces and vessels.
After graduating from college she began working with mixed media pieces incorporating her photographs creating visual stories with her viewers. It was then she realized she was leaning toward the photographic medium as a fine art.
Initially working with film in black and white she began showing her work and earning recognition. Her work involves exploring the life’s of people. Always wanting to know more about her subject she spends time with them developing a more personal approach to her storytelling.
“Trisha ability to look beneath the surface creates powerful visual dialogues that find true meaning in the simple things. Her photography is like beautiful poetry capturing pieces of vanishing America “,,, Fred Martins creative director of Tiziani Whitmyre.
