Barry Whitehouse Art brings the work of a practising North Oxfordshire artist directly to collectors, gift buyers, and anyone who wants a painting with genuine local roots. Based in Banbury, Barry Whitehouse has been painting and teaching professionally for more than twenty-five years. His Shopappy listing, alongside his physical home at The Artery in Banbury town centre, gives buyers easy access to original paintings, prints, and hand-produced art products rooted in the Oxfordshire landscape. You can find more independent shops in Banbury through the town’s Shopappy directory.
- Original paintings in watercolour, acrylic, and oil by a working professional artist
- Prints and gifts from Barry’s portfolio, covering landscapes, trees, and animal subjects
- Handmade watercolour paints (Barry’s Paintbox) mixed on site at The Artery in Banbury
- Over 25 years of professional practice and teaching in North Oxfordshire
- Founder of the Banbury Artists’ Cooperative and organiser of the annual Banbury ArtFest
What Barry Whitehouse Creates and Sells
Barry’s primary subjects are the animals, trees, and open landscapes of Oxfordshire and the surrounding countryside. His palette runs toward earthy ochres, cool greens, and the particular grey-blue of English skies. He works mainly in watercolours and acrylics, though he turns to oils for Renaissance-style figure studies and uses pen-and-wash for architectural commissions.
Prints of his paintings are available through his online shop, and several designs appear on everyday items including mugs and cushions. That range suits both the serious collector buying an original and someone looking for a well-made, locally-rooted gift. He has also developed Barry’s Paintbox, a line of handmade watercolour paints built around the colour palette he has refined across decades of practice. They are produced on site at The Artery and sold alongside his paintings and prints.
Why Buying from a Working Artist Makes a Difference
There is a meaningful gap between buying a print from a generic platform and buying one from the person who painted it. Every piece sold through Barry Whitehouse Art connects directly to an ongoing, practising career. The money stays in Banbury, the provenance is clear, and the relationship between maker and buyer is real.
That spirit of connection extends into the wider community. Barry founded the Banbury Artists’ Cooperative in 2017 to give local artists a regular platform and space to show their work. He also organises the annual Banbury ArtFest, held each June as part of the Banbury and District Show, filling the gap left by the end of an established regional art event. Buying from Barry is, in a small way, supporting all of that.
Banbury as a Creative Town
Banbury has more going on artistically than its reputation as a market town might suggest. The Banbury Museum and Gallery on the Oxford Canal runs a changing programme of exhibitions through its Pye Gallery, which has hosted Grayson Perry, Turner prints, and much else besides. Church Lane Gallery, run entirely by local artists, gives the Banbury Artists’ Cooperative a permanent retail presence in the town centre.
The Artery sits at the heart of this scene as the only independent art supplies shop in North Oxfordshire, sharing a building with a café, picture framers, and a first-floor teaching studio. Independent retail shapes a market town’s character, and Banbury has more of it than many towns its size. Market towns across England follow a similar pattern: places like Winchester show how a creative retail anchor draws visitors and sustains the high street around it.
Visiting and Buying
Barry’s paintings and prints can be browsed and bought through his Shopappy listing and his own website at barrywhitehouse.com. His physical base is The Artery in Banbury town centre, open for browsing original work and art supplies. The shop runs around forty art classes per month in its first-floor classroom, covering watercolours, acrylics, oils, gouache, pastels, drawing, calligraphy, and art history. Each class is self-contained, so anyone can join at any point without needing prior sessions.
For those who cannot get to Banbury, online recordings of Barry’s classes are available through artstreamclub.com. A painting, a print, or a set of handmade watercolour paints all make thoughtful, well-sourced gifts from a real place and a real maker. Explore the full range of what Banbury’s independents have to offer at Shopappy.
Are Barry Whitehouse’s paintings available as prints?
Yes. Barry sells prints of his paintings through his Shopappy listing and his own website. Several designs are also available on items such as mugs and cushions through his Redbubble store.
What subjects does Barry Whitehouse paint?
Barry paints animals, trees, and open landscapes, drawing mainly on the Oxfordshire countryside. He also takes architectural commissions in pen and wash, and works in oils for Renaissance-style figure studies.
Where is The Artery and can I visit in person?
The Artery is Barry’s art shop and teaching studio in Banbury town centre. It is the only independent art supplies shop in North Oxfordshire. You can visit to browse original paintings, prints, and supplies without booking a class.
Does Barry Whitehouse offer art classes?
Yes. The Artery runs around forty classes per month in watercolours, acrylics, oils, gouache, pastels, drawing, calligraphy, and art history. Each session is self-contained, so beginners are always welcome to join. Online recorded classes are also available through artstreamclub.com.