Nationally acclaimed American artist John M. Barber has painted the Chesapeake Bay and eastern seaboard for nearly four decades. A meticulous chronicler of its watermen, vessels, and lifestyles, Barber is one of the few maritime artists who doesn’t just paint scenes, but the stories behind them — always invoking the magic of light to provide texture to his subjects and the Chesapeake’s vanishing way of life.

Calling Barber the “premier chronicler of Chesapeake Bay life,” J. Russell Jinishian, the nation’s leading authority on contemporary marine art, praises the artist’s technical skill and painstaking attention to detail. “Many artists paint skipjacks,” he explains, “but John’s emotive depth puts him on another level entirely. Should the skipjacks disappear, Barber’s paintings will provide a valuable historical record of the waterman’s era for generations to come.”

Also renowned for his cityscapes and architectural art, Barber splits his time between his own original works and paintings commissioned by customers. To view some of his works, please click the Portfolio link to the left.

Barber earned his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1969 and lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife Kathy. They have two adult sons: Adam who lives with his family in Portand, Oregon and Joshua lives with his family in Richmond. Visit Joshua Barber’s Fine Art Website.

2014 – 50 Years of John M. Barber’s Marine Art.

2009 – Chartered helicopter flight, making photos for painting “Bird’s Eye View” see it in Portfolio/Custom Paintings.

1999 – The White House Painting

1990 – The Beauty of the Chesapeake Bay Past & Present

1986 – National Geographic Society – John Barber’s Chesapeake

1985 – Presentation in the Oval Office to President Ronald W. Reagan