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As a professional book illustrator, he has illustrated over 70 books for book publishers in the UK, Ireland, the US, Germany, Italy, and Spain. From 2002 to 2007 he was commissioned by the Irish government to illustrate five Irish language Ladybird style fairytale books, which were later distributed to all national libraries and primary schools in Ireland. He is the only contemporary living Irish book illustrator to have his artwork sold at Sothebys. These fairytale images are available for licensing through Bridgeman Images. Jonathan Barry is also an author of two books. His horror novel 'The Devil's Hoof - A Gothic Tale' based on the Hellfire Club in the Dublin mountains, has received great acclaim since it was published in 2017. He lives and works in Ireland.
Explore Jonathan Barry's collection here
What inspires you to create your artwork?
As a child I fell passionately in love with classic children's books and stories, and as a teenager I feel in love with classic novels, in particular British, Irish and American classic literature. My favourite children's story is 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis, and it was the illustrations by Pauline Baynes in this book that inspired me to start drawing as a child, and made me want to become a book illustrator. Pauline''s illustrations for the seven Narnian chronicles are masterpieces. She also illustrated The Lord of the Rings for Tolkien. When I became a professional book illustrator as an adult I was very fortunate to meet with and become friends with Pauline Baynes in 1999, when Pauline was about 70 years of age. We met in London, and we remained friends for sixteen years before she passed away. She was a mentor to me, and we corresponded with each other constantly during these sixteen years. I learnt a lot from Pauline, and she told me how she got lucky when she met Tolkien when she was 25. She was a lovely person and encouraged me greatly as a book illustrator. I'm also an author of two books, and Pauline encouraged me to write them too.
Does your practice respond to any specific themes?
Yes, I am best known as an illustrator of classic famous British literature and novels. For the last 30 years I have specialised in painting iconic scenes from such famous works as: 'Alice In Wonderland', 'The Wind In The Willows', 'Peter Pan', 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Dracula', 'Wuthering Heights', 'Narnia', 'UIysses', 'Moby Dick', 'The Lord of Rings, and many more. I have illustrated over seventy books, and my paintings have appeared in over 150 international newspapers and magazines, including The Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Spectator.
What mediums do you use to create your artwork?
I work mainly in oils. Most of my paintings and illustrations are oils on canvas. If I am doing a fully illustrated book which has numerous colour plates - then I will illustrate it in gouche. When I was illustrating 'Cinderella', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Jack and the Beanstalk', and 'Rapunzel' I painted all of these in gouche.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
As a book illustrator, as I have already mentioned - my friend Pauline Baynes would have been my biggest influence. Her black and white illustrations for the seven narnian chronicles are amongst the greatest illustrations ever created in the history of literature. She perfectly encapsulated the genius of C.S. Lewis' brilliant prose, imagination, and story telling powers. Her illustrations are so good, that in the 75 years since the Narnian chronicles were first published - Pauline's illustrations continue to be used.
My dark and gothic paintings are strongly influenced by the German romantic artist Casper David Friedrich, who painted in the nineteenth century. If I am painting a gothic, dramatic, or horror scene, my brooding skies are heavily influenced by Friedrich's powerfully dramatic and emotionally charged skylines. I also loved Frederich's trees and his very detailed realistic interpretations of natual landscapes. I put the same detail into my paintings, when painting trees, mountains, rivers, skies, and buildings.
How do you find new inspiration?
I find new inspiration daily and weekly from the endless rich pool of fantastic literature that is out there in the world waiting to be illustrated and visualized. Books are my lifetime passion, and I have been collecting rare and antiquarian books for 45 years. I am constantly reading and re-reading the classics from Jane Austen to Nabakov, and there is literally no end to inspiration for me on new subjects to paint. I am also an author, and something of an expert on horror. My horror novel 'The Devils Hoof - A Gothic Tale', has been selling well for the last ten years, and I continue to get inspired by the horror genre. I of course also illustrate my own horror books.
Explore Jonathan Barry's collection here
