Travel and life itself together with artistic inspiration from Escher, Rene Magritte and Roger Dean have all played a part in the creation of the amazing images in the photography of Thomas Barbey.
His strangely compelling compositions are sourced from his archives of thousands of photographs taken during the periods of his extensive globe-trotting sessions. He incessantly searches for images with which to create his imaginative photographs which are occasionally humorous but often thought provoking and hauntingly beautiful.
He prefers to work from his own darkroom in the production of the photographs in black and white with the occasional sepia hue. He does not depend on digital manipulation as the major tool in his work but rather the juxtaposition of opposing images arranged with a critical eye for detail and perspective while using the concept of everyday life. He calls his work ‘photomixage’ and likes his work to be appreciated for its artistic merit rather than pondering on the technical side as he believes that: ‘visionary inspiration and imagination is not a technical skill learned at school.’
