Lin Barrie
Lin immerses herself in her surroundings. Whether painting people, ocean or sky, dancers or rhinos, skulls and shells or African wild dogs, Lin strives for an abstract emotion, a heartfelt impression of her subjects. Telling stories, ngano, with her painted landscapes, skyscapes, mindscapes, Lin’s painting inspires her poetry, her love of diverse culture, her sense of community.
After completing a Fine Art Diploma in printmaking, painting, sculpture and art history, at Durban Art College in 1980, Lin worked as a textile designer, traveling to Europe and the Far East. In 1991, after returning to Zimbabwe from the Far East, and having explored Chinese brushstroke painting and Indonesian batik, she became a full time fine artist. In 2010, Lin completed a Creative Writing course mentored by J.M. Coetzee, University of Cape Town. Lin has a wide-ranging art practice, collaborating with her daughter Kelli Barker and fellow Zimbabweans in the fields of Body Art, Fashion, Make Up, Poetry/Music/Film, the Spoken Word and Conservation, to create multi-layered art exhibitions. These collaborations often benefit communities and conservation.
Lin Barrie spends much of her time the south east wilderness of Zimbabwe with her life partner Clive Stockil, a respected conservationist and ardent spokesman for rural communities.
