About the Artist

Barry Simon has been playing the hammered dulcimer for over twenty-five years. He greatly enjoys both playing and building hammered dulcimers. He has played for numerous audiences in the Southeastern New England area (and is available for bookings with the Starry Night band or the Morning Star duet). He is delighted to be able to share his music more widely with his CD "Starry Island Night" (available for purchase via this web site.) Barry and his music partner, Patty Woofenden, who form the Mornming Star duet, have a Christmas CD in the works to be available in 2007 or 2008. The Starry Night band also has a CD in the works to be available in 2007. You will see these two new CDs on this website when they are available.		Playing at Star Island, 2000.
Scrimshaw on fossilized walrus tusk (about 7" tall). Detail view.		Barry started his art career as a scrimshander in 1973. He won the Award of Excellence at the Mystic Seaport Museum Gallery in 1986. He currently works only on antique materials, recycled piano keys, and fossilized ivories. He often uses pen and ink to do scrimshaw-style designs for bookmarks and prints. His scrimshaw work can be found in the Edgartown Scrimshaw Gallery in Edgartown, MA. Barry's great-grandfather was a whaler (out of New Bedford) and a scrimshander as well.
Wanting to explore with color, Barry began his career as an oil painter seventeen years ago. In some of his work you can see the influence of his fine hand as a scrimshander; in most of his work you can see his love for the sea, especially of islands. Some of Barry's oil paintings can often be seen (and are for sale) at the Art of the Sea Gallery under "Nautical Oils."		Painting at Monhegan Island, 1994.
House Raising, 1986.		Barry balances his artwork with carpentry. For example, he built a post-and-beam house and art barn on land in Rochester, MA.

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