Nice.

Nice is good. Right? Nice is certainly amiable. Unassuming. Congenial. But is it good? After all, the girl doesn’t always get the ‘Nice’ guy, right? The girl wants the bad boy, the rebel, the boundary pusher. The guy who’s going to make her feel like she’s alive.

Why?

Nice is boring. Right? 

Maybe.

After spending some time speaking with artist Robert Barber I walked away from our conversation feeling he just might be the nicest man on Earth. His happy-go-lucky style and low-key manner put me at ease immediately. After a few minutes I knew he was the kind of guy with whom I could pop a cold one after a long Saturday afternoon of grueling, unpleasant yard work. His carefree way and smoothly-relaxing vocal tones, like the gently-rolling waters of an Appalachian trout brook, sucked me in, hook, line and sinker.

But does ‘nice’ make for good art? Nice is boring. Right?

Maybe.

Being the skeptic I am I set out to burst this ‘Too-Good-To-Be-True’ bubble. And, to a degree, I succeeded. Don’t get me wrong, Robert Barber is a nice guy, a great guy really. But bubbling under the ‘Ned Flanders meets Jeff Spicoli’ easy-going exterior is a torrent of inspiration and artistic talent. That passion is evident on the canvas, where it bursts forth in bright beautiful colors and thought-provoking subject matter which certainly lets the girl know she’s alive.

Take his Painting ‘Praying with Mary’, for example. The work depicts a statue of the Virgin Mary, standing, shroud over the top of her head with hands pressed tightly together in prayer. At first glance the figure seems unassuming, like its painter, until you take in the rest of the work. The dark muted tones of an aged and somewhat gnarled tree trunk stand resolutely behind Mary in the garden, giving her strength and context while bringing the Virgin Mother to life, reaffirming her place as the most important woman the world has ever known.

His work ‘Evening News’ depicts a woman, dressed in fine work clothes, lounging nonchalantly on a sofa, a newspaper section opened wide in front of her face while the rest of the paper is strewn over the floor within reaching distance, light beaming overhead into the upper reaches of the paper. The work is striking in its testament to life as we know it today, both from a historical perspective and in its reflection of how we react to that life. When I first saw this painting, I looked nostalgically, smile on my face when I remembered how important and enjoyable a part of my everyday life this activity used to be. Soon this painting will be looked at as those of the great masters of centuries ago whose depictions of everyday life are extremely foreign to modern society. But the work also depicts what we have become as a frantic ‘I-Need-It-Yesterday’ society. The woman, dressed in her finery, presumably after a day at the office, too exhausted to change her clothing upon returning home, opting for a quick breather on the couch instead.

Barber’s work is created through several influences. The first, being his wife, who fairly well recognizes his approach to the work at hand.  “My wife would tell you I think too much,” Barber says. “But I take a thoughtful approach to what I do.” His approach is certainly evident in his work. ‘Evening News’ is very moving.

Barber also takes a key from his surroundings. His landscapes and Plein Air works are swimming in color with a variety of brush stroke styles depending on the subject matter or message being conveyed. “I simply enjoy natural light. It creates an atmosphere, and that’s just as much fun to paint as the subject.”  A high level of talent is required to master Plein Air. The light of the moment may exist for only a matter of minutes, or even seconds, resulting in constant changes to the image one wished to paint initially.

Looking back at painters who have influenced Barber, like many Plein Air painters he immediately brings up Sargent, admiring his traveler’s and painter’s life style “weaving painting and life together.” When speaking of Sargent, two of his most influential works came up, of course. ‘A Portrait of Madame X’ and ‘Gassed’, works which changed Sargent’s path and reputation, while cementing his place among the all-time greats. “He crossed a line socially which kind of exhibited a sliver of forward thinking,” Barber says. “He put something in the public eye that was o.k. only in private circles. It altered his career.”

Barber’s career also has been altered along the way, winning numerous awards and competitions. He was the Grand Prize winner at Plein Air Easton in 2007 and took 3rd place a year ago with his painting  ‘Two Sycamores’. The work is quintessential Barber, capturing just the right amount of light and weaving it expertly into the work, bringing depth and character to the beautiful trees, standing majestically between the quaffed landscape in the foreground and civilized development behind.

He attributes much of his success to striking a healthy balance between his work as an artist and the other important parts of life many people ignore, such as family as well as socialization. “One of the things we deal with (as plein air painters) is that it’s a relatively isolated existence. Also as an artist, you get lots of feedback. You have to balance the feedback with your own internal guide…saying to yourself ‘What should I do with the feedback?’. I’ve been ignored by judges at events. Rob Barber? Who’s He?”  He advises to “keep checking in with what is genuinely ‘me’” and to not alter what your mission is, based on that feedback. 

Barber will be back this summer for 2014’s Plein Air. He loves it! “ There’s a lot of community support for the artist. It’s like artist fantasy world,” he says. Plus, there are the people, the other artists. “The gathering of the tribe element is great. Seeing all these other goofballs who are just as passionate as I am is wonderful.”

Come check out Robert Barber this year at Plein Air and you’ll see that ‘nice’ really IS good!