Bill Barrell
Painter
Interview by Kelly Prentice
Photographed by Larry Fink
About the artist: Self-taught impressionist artist influenced by Bob Thompson, Lester Johnson, and Red Grooms, Barrell owned his own gallery called The Sun in Provincetown for many years.
Where they’re from: London
When they moved to Easton: 2000
Why they live in Easton: I had a very nice studio in Jersey City but the building was condemned. And I had a lot of work [to store] . . . So I wanted to find a building that was big enough to make a studio, living space and storage. Karl Stirner was very influential in saying, “Come to Easton!” It is a great place. It’s got a very Americana kind of flavor. It’s multiethnic. You can walk down Second Street and see all buildings influenced by the Dutch, by the Germans, by the English all side by side—it’s characteristic of America to me, people being able to live side by side.
Philosophy: I’ve painted daily for almost forty-five years. I still believe that the life of a painter is magic.
What makes them smile: When you see the Circle or the Square bustling with activity on a Saturday, that makes me smile. Sometimes you feel like you are back in time. When I was sick a few years ago, I ended up reading all the books of Jefferson, Washington and Adams. I got a real history of America and so much of it took place in this area. It was a crossroads.
How they see Easton’s future: The town administrators, they have a lot of pride. It’s been on the upswing, it looks like a restaurant center now and theater is very good. I think there’s a lot of artists squirreled away. For example, Ultra Violet. She was one of Andy Warhol’s actresses, and she’s very famous. Last year she came by, but I’m not sure if she’s living here now or not.
Bill Barrell passed to the next life in 2022. His laugh is still heard by many.
Links for further reading:
https://www.provincetownartistregistry.com/B/Bill_Barrell.html
This interview was originally published in the Third Edition of Laini’s Little Pocket Guide to Easton in 2010. It was accompanied by the following:
They flee from New York City and elsewhere, because they found a warehouse building at a price they couldn’t pass up. Or because Easton reminds them of a place they once knew, long ago and far away. Maybe it’s because their friend Karl Stirner convinced them to come. Or because of its historic charm and the opportunity to create art in seeming anonymity.