Continuation of a Theme This area is going to utilised as a personal information and essay area where Barry's writings are displayed. You will be encouraged to post comments and feedback on the writing. Barry Ross Smith was born in 1964, in Northland, New Zealand. His mother was a school teacher and his father worked at Affco Freezing works. They lived in a small cottage on his Uncle’s farm. The third child of four, the family moved every few years southward until, in 1978, they settled in Tauranga. Barry trained as a sign writer and commercial artist which took him overseas for many years. In 1995 he met an American artist traveling in New Zealand, and together they spent many summers outside painting ‘Plein-air’ and from life models. From here a keen eye was laid upon the NZ landscape and an appreciation of the human form was cultivated. Barry’s first exhibition was at Harrison’s Art Gallery in Tauranga. While living in Auckland he approached The Studio of Contemporary Art and began painting professionally. In 2008 he is having his first public gallery exhibition and began studying at Whitecliffe School of Art for his Master of Fine Arts degree. Barry and Leanne live in a small rural town and have two daughters, Willow and Aurora. Barry works from a studio in an elevated abandoned building. It has views of the local hills and farmland.