When Pennsylvania Barry Ginder was an architecture student at Temple University, his art professor, Larry Spaid, influenced how he would eventually approach his own projects. “He taught me a method of working the full surface repeatedly and then refining the work until a moment of balance is achieved,” he says.
It was natural for Ginder to pursue both disciplines, which allow him to document the world around him. While rooted in his knowledge of structures, Ginder’s artwork strays from literal representation. The abstract versions of urban landscapes, which he describes as fragments, take on geometric forms that seem to pulsate with movement.
Not surprisingly, Ginder focuses on the experience of space—how people move through it, relate to it, and connect with it. He tries to capture the energy of the Mid-Atlantic region, especially his beloved Philadelphia. Color and layered surfaces add depth that echoes the textures in the city.
Ginder puts acrylic on Plexiglas, which he rubs to transform the surface. Vibrant colors are combined with a range of lines, from sharp to gestural. These layers shift with the viewer’s perspective and add a depth that echoes the diversity in the city.
Sketches are essential to Ginder as concepts are formed through his drawings. “Whether it’s a quote, a song or a detail of a building, I trace the idea and put it down on paper,” he notes. “Over time, this process becomes meaningful and becomes a proposition.”
Today, Barry Ginder is with us Friday five!
1. Sean Scully
The intense depth of his works. The power of painting the same picture over and over again. The power of both large and small projects.
2. Finn Juhl – President 45
A revolutionary chair design, one of the first to detach the back and seat from the frame, creating a floating effect. An iconic organic form with neat frames. A timeless design.
3. Gerhard Richter + Richard Serra 2016
At Marian Goodman Gallery and Gagosian Gallery in 2016, I saw a double showing of painting and sculpture that, in my mind, strongly resonated with the work’s likeness. Steel and stretched color were like parallel expressions of pure power and emotion.
4. My son’s hands
My son is my inspiration. Through his trials, he has risen to a level often only achieved by wise old souls. This is shown in simple, everyday ways, such as picking a daily crop from his garden.
5. The sunlight in my paintings
Light is the main source of inspiration. I often find the best source material in light-drenched cityscapes. In my plexiglass work, the continuous layering of the surface captures subtle nuances of depth and transparency, coordinated with surfaces saturated in light or shadow. In the studio, the ultimate moment is when sunlight hits a finished painting, creating another composition.
Works by Barry Ginder:
B+G Residence in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
This is a house I designed with Suzanne Brandt as part of Brandt+Ginder Architecture. Set on 2.5 acres, it was shaped not by style, but by the experience of light, wind, exterior views and interior relationships. It is a modern house designed with simplicity and rigor, built with traditional material detailing in a modern aesthetic. Hand-hewn brick, mahogany paneling, a metal roof and large windows create a contemporary farmhouse. It is a hand-crafted object in the landscape with a view-like view and an internally framed view to the extensive landscape.
Private Residence
This project was a renovation of a historic stone building with a reddish-purple coloring. An addition was designed in copper, which over time developed a similar purple tone, creating a contemporary interpretation of the original stone materiality. Copper was also carried over to the kitchen, reinforcing the connection between the new intervention and the existing structure.
2026 View East no3
An enlarged detail from an ongoing series of paintings based on a particular view of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is personal to me, as it is where I went to school at Temple University. The view is from the 11th floor in West Philadelphia, looking east. During the day, the scenery changes, especially in the afternoon as the light shifts. This painting is one of many versions of the same view.
3 Square painting
A composition of nine squares based on the View East series. This work is part of a larger cityscape series, but at a larger scale—an actual view of the city rather than a graphic interpretation. It uses the same Philadelphia projection that runs through the series.
Favorite bench
A bench that I designed with elegant details and minimal parts to create the maximum effect. A simple leg structure is molded and folded for support. Cushions allow for comfort and perching, but not lounging, a conversation bench. An extended wooden seat becomes a space for objects. Two materials, walnut upholstery and textured cotton upholstery, are handcrafted into a modern bench.
