Award winning Welsh war artist and former soldier Barry John MBE served in the British military for 24 years throughout the world. His art is in many public collections and has sold to celebrities and sports starts internationally and has work in various museums in the UK. Barry can be classed as a Neo-expressionist but his work goes beyond the borders of the art movement. His pictures feature visually strong and confrontational dichotomies to get the message of the works across. These graffito marks give an additional complexity to the work, adding colour and value to the overall story and objectives of each composition. They are carefully placed and not just casual throw-away lines. They provide a sense of immediacy and movement.  

Barry fuses text and imagery, historical detail mixed with the contemporary, to tell the stories of modern and contemporary scenes and works, which also includes four different styles that all utilise Barry’s recognisable mark-making. His artworks require time and attention as they ask the viewer to look beyond the surface of the picture and to dig deeper into the messages they send out. They are more than just vivid confrontational works of art – they are statements to make you think, and that’s what great art does. 

He has held many solo art exhibitions throughout the UK and Europe and many group exhibitions including the John Creasey Museum in Salisbury and Exeter Castle. He has also exhibited in the Waterfront Gallery, Milford Haven, with an exhibition titled 'Homecoming', opened by Andrew Vicari. At the Mall Gallery, London, in the Armed Forces exhibition with Prince Charles and opened by the then Secretary of Defense, where John was presented with the Templar Award for Art. John did a number of powerful pieces at the Art of Remembrance showing work on the Welsh at Mametz Wood. His work has also been auctioned as part of the Square Mile Salute.