Statement: As an Artist, I express of my work through several platforms as an evolutionary but simplified process to what we all witness in nature and life experiences. Accustomed to seeing and relating to but simplified and treated as a minimalist perspective. We all can share a common language when Nature is all round us but in through different forms. I'm focusing on patterns and composition, always thinking to keep it simple and less. The more I study what I see, the more I am deeply committed to conveying its character without getting too complicated. One can paint and draw for a long time only to discover they know very little about it.

For a long time now, my work has found a clearer resolution by just using a simplistic approach. Every day images dont have to be what you expect. Add beauty, add form, add a sense of place. I like to give you some guess work, some surprises. My past history spans as a Brand Graphic Designer, I've learned to make things simple and leave out the static/ noise which makes your message almost iconic, The creative evolution of my work is sometimes as surprising to me as it is to others. 

Background: Richard “Gene” Barbera tries to piece shapes together like a puzzle to form the image. Keeping the visual to a minimum, he learned keeping simple gets a better reaction. Let the viewer put the pieces together.  He draws most of his inspiration from recognizable images from the coastal images and especially the Portland, ME area, where he grew up, and learned to practice art under visiting artist at the Portland School of Art (before MECA). Before finishing his degree in graphic design at the University of Hartford, he attended the University of Southern Maine where he was able to practice drawing and painting. Barbera moved to the New York City area after college, and designed large scale branding identities for large international companies. When he is not painting, or practicing art, Barbera travels to Madrid, Spain with his wife and two young children, where he manages to find more inspiration in his travels.