“Santa Fe artist John Barker paints energetically and prophetically. He is a decidedly 21st century artist, a fervent creator of images that possess a singularly accessible humanity–and as such his works are rife with neuroses and noise. His paintings are like visual manifestations of a tenaciously busy mind: perfervid worlds where the vibrant, even volatile, always trumps the restrained and austere. His is a free-wheeling pictorial language, in which irrelevance is examined and ultimately championed. Barker made up the word ‘Distractionism’ to describe his work, and indeed his compositions sometimes seem spacey or preoccupied. The term is both an affectionate refutation and an earnest exoneration of our distinctly contemporary, dwindling attention spans-a serious and goofy send-up to the artist’s multi-faceted, multi-tasking life. It’s perhaps paradoxical, then, that barker’s buzzing, electric portraits require such keen attention.”

—Iris McLister

John Barker has been making artwork since he was a child. He continued creating paintings and sculpture throughout his years in New York, ultimately settling back in Santa Fe. His works were introduced to the art world by Eggman and Walrus. Currently, they are represented by Turner Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe, and have been featured in publications such as Santa Fean, The Magazine, and Pasatiempo.