All his life, Joseph Barbaccia has been inspired by color and form. He was drawn to their motivating forces even before his artistic inclinations and aspirations were clear to him. There were no artists among his extended family or their friends, but “at church on Sundays, I remember always wanting to sit in a pew that had a stained-glass window at the end in order to enjoy the colors close up,” as he studied the statues and the bas-reliefs on the walls.
Barbaccia was born in Philadelphia, but when he was a toddler, the family moved to rural New Jersey. He began drawing in earnest when he was six, at first to capture the attention of his second-grade teacher, whom he admired. But soon his family began to take notice. “Since then, except for six months in 1979 when I took a motorcycle trip [out west], I never stopped making images.” After studying at Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Fine Arts, Barbaccia traveled through the United States and the South Pacific, drawing and painting in a “mostly representational style.” In 1996 he settled in Potomac Falls, Virginia, where over the next two decades his experiments with encaustics, freestanding sculpture, and mixed media gained increasing attention and recognition.
The prolific artist has exhibited widely, with over 35 group shows and 10 solo exhibitions in galleries and major venues throughout the East Coast and the mid-Atlantic, including the Greater Reston Art Center, Delaware Contemporary, Rehoboth Art League, and Washington’s Corcoran Gallery. Barbaccia has been featured in publications such as Luzer’s Archive 200 BEST Illustrators Worldwide, Illustration Annual 57, 3 X 3 Illustration Directory, Polymer Journeys (The Art and Craft of Polymer), Creative Quarterly, Illustration West 54, and the AOI World Illustration Awards. He has also written articles for Polymer Arts magazine and is an accomplished illustrator with three published children’s picture books (and a fourth underway).
Barbaccia had always had a large studio, but in 2018 he and his wife (also an artist) moved to Georgetown, Delaware, where his workspace was smaller. Realizing “I would have to change my materials and methods to accommodate the new reality,” he landed on polymer clay as “the perfect choice.” The material – with its transparency and a full color spectrum – allows him to create in both two and three dimensions. It led Barbaccia in a new direction. “Approximately 90% of the artists creating with polymer clay create jewelry. I thought the time was right to expand its visual range.”
As well as inspiring Barbaccia, working with polymer clay has challenges. Using atypical art materials, “I sometimes come up against limiting parameters in applications to shows or competitions . . . [including] a list of accepted materials that doesn’t include polymer clay.” But he continues to push against these and other constraints and revels in “showing and sharing my work.”
Statement:
"As an artist, I strive to create works that inspire emotional connections with my audience. My art explores the intersection of identity, memory, and society. I aim to express the complexity of human experiences through my chosen medium, which is often a combination of painting, sculpture, drawing, and polymer clay."
Polymer clay is recognized as a versatile and forgiving medium, enabling the creation of intricate details and textures in sculptures. The tactile nature of working with polymer clay allows for shaping and molding ideas into physical forms.
Drawing inspiration from personal history and the surrounding world, Joseph uses his work to process and make sense of his experiences. He often employs symbolism and metaphor to convey ideas, inviting viewers to bring their own interpretations to the art.
The artistic process involves experimentation and exploration, pushing the boundaries of the chosen medium and incorporating various materials to create texture and depth. The artist continually challenges himself to take risks and try new techniques to bring their vision to life.
"Ultimately, my goal is to create art that sparks dialogue and encourages introspection. I believe that art has the power to connect us as human beings and to inspire empathy and understanding. Through my work, I hope to contribute to a larger cultural conversation and to make a meaningful impact on the world around me."
