Soleyne Profile: Barrie Harding

Barrie Harding's bio:

Barrie Harding is a Mechanical Engineer by formal education. After 30 years at IBM, he graduated (retired) to a life of turning wood in 1998. He has not settled on only one aspect of turning yet as he enjoys a wide variety of projects. Barrie emphasizes letting the wood retain its natural features such as natural edges (bark on or off), bark inclusions, holes crevices, voids, etc. He never uses paint, stain, bleach, or dye, but occasionally uses semi-precious stones, thus emphasizing only the natural beauty and colors of nature. This natural color emphasis is especially prominent in his segmented work where the contrast of the various natural woods is most amazing. Barrie’s pierce carving is also designed to emphasize the natural figures and shapes of the wood.

Barrie does fine salad bowls and other usual items but really likes to do unusual and artistic pieces using techniques like:
• Bias Turnery (turned at an angle to the grain and bark of the wood)
• Multi-center Turnery ( eccentric)
• Incorporating shells and antlers
• Combining turned elements into sculptures
• Pierce carving
• Inlaying stone


Barrie markets his art in galleries and art shows and has won many art prizes over the past several years including:
• First in “Other Media” Category at Celebration Arts Festival 2008
• Third in Show at Naples Invitational Art Festival 2008
• Second in Show at South Miami Art Festival 2006
• First in “Wood” Category at Beaux Arts Festival 2006
• First in “Wood” Category at Port Orange Art Festival 2006
• First in “Wood” Category at Lake Mary Art Festival 2005