About Eric Barfield
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The week I was born The Hollies were at #1 with "I'm alive". What does it mean to be alive? For me it's all about consciousness of breath and the awareness that life is short. So what do we do with this precious gift of life?
My mother always said, "Do the best you can". When I saw a little pilgrims badge at the Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman Grayson Perry exhibition in 2012 it reminded me of this advice. The badge is inscribed with the latin phrase "Vi Sis Mis" which literally translated means "Be the most".
But the badge has another meaning: "I have the mouse". This idea is shown figuratively with the cat holding a mouse in its mouth. The cat is comfortable with its nature, it knows what it must do. This surely is our greatest quest, to discover who we are, our true nature, beyond what society or our parenting my have ascribed to us.
I have spent a large part of my career working in IT and marketing. I've had a number of "good jobs" and built a successful small business. In 2011 I experienced what I can only describe as a "calling" and in 2012 I responded. Since childhood I had enjoyed drawing and now it is my life's work and passion. I "have the mouse". Through teaching I help others discover their "artistic voice" and as a portrait artist I explore my own. |
Summary
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Background
About the age of 10 I was inspired by my first mentor and teacher Mr Smith. Mr Smith taught maths and art at Mayfield Middle School, Isle of Wight in the 1970s. "Natural" instinct might suggest a paradox in the idea that someone good at maths could also be good at art, after all students are often asked to make a decision at some point in their lives; to be an artist OR a scientist. Mr Smith was great at both.
In 1979, I moved to the USA with my family. (Thank you IBM, and thank you Dad for taking a risk, and escaping the power cuts.) In America I was given confidence, my first camera (a Pentax K1000 SLR), and a wide and varied education which included programming, architecture, archery, fishing, metalwork, touch typing. I completed computer based Q&A career advice which suggested I should be an architect.
Returning to the UK in the early 1981, with a growing curiosity about personal computers (BBC Micro) and their ability to paint light onto CRTs, I chose to be a scientist. Architecture was an option, but at the time the 7 year degree seem like a long time to be in education to me! The lure of solid job prospects in IT and nudges from 6th form college teachers sent me off to Imperial College to study Computing Science.
In 1979, I moved to the USA with my family. (Thank you IBM, and thank you Dad for taking a risk, and escaping the power cuts.) In America I was given confidence, my first camera (a Pentax K1000 SLR), and a wide and varied education which included programming, architecture, archery, fishing, metalwork, touch typing. I completed computer based Q&A career advice which suggested I should be an architect.
Returning to the UK in the early 1981, with a growing curiosity about personal computers (BBC Micro) and their ability to paint light onto CRTs, I chose to be a scientist. Architecture was an option, but at the time the 7 year degree seem like a long time to be in education to me! The lure of solid job prospects in IT and nudges from 6th form college teachers sent me off to Imperial College to study Computing Science.
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I left Imperial with degree in hand, and joined Logica, mainly because Philips Hughes, the director of Logica at the time, was also a well known artist.
I was based in Hampstead Road, Camden, and just around the corner at the Camden Institute I started a life drawing class. I was captivated by drawing the human form from the first experience. Doing a charcoal drawing of a statuesque Rastafarian man. (See right.) |
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In 1990 I left Logica as writing embedded software that had no visual manifestation ultimately lost my interest. I joined Philips Interactive Media Systems, attracted by a new "multimedia home entertainment system" called "CDi" (Compact Disc Interactive). After 3 years playing with light, I joined up with a couple of colleagues and formed Silverdisc.
Shortly after that the internet was born and everything changed, every few years! After almost 19 years co-building SilverDisc into an online marketing agency of good ethical pedigree, in 2012 I made the decision to leave SilverDisc, set up Ericaceous and travel down the rabbit hole!
Shortly after that the internet was born and everything changed, every few years! After almost 19 years co-building SilverDisc into an online marketing agency of good ethical pedigree, in 2012 I made the decision to leave SilverDisc, set up Ericaceous and travel down the rabbit hole!