
Harry Barendse Artwork
Most of my work I created on Crete. My wife and I visited this Greek island for the first time in 1980. In the years to follow we kept on coming back. Since 2018 we live part of the year alternately in village of Sivas and in Den Bosch in the Netherlands.
The paintings and sculptures I make are an expression of how I feel about Crete. This is strongly determined by a longing for what once was and admiration for the authenticity that is still present.
Most of my work is composed of materials that are marked by time and decay. For instance a worthless burlap sack, driftwood, old glass and rusted iron. By bringing together pieces of “worthless junk“, I try to create a new “story“.
I have no education in visual arts. After being a metal worker, among others, I studied clinical psychology and worked in that capacity until I retired. Then I found the conditions to further develop my artistic qualities.
Example of works


