Barry was born in Dunnottar in 1949 from Scottish and Afrikaans decent. He was educated in Zambia and has lived in Cape Town since the early 1970s. He is married, has a son and daughter and two grandchildren.

He started his career in the advertising industry but after a few years became dissatisfied with the corporate world and in 1982 into went freelance as an illustrator servicing the advertising world. During this time he also worked as a philatelic illustrator for the GPO designing award winning stamps and First Day Covers for RSA and Namibia.

While commissions from the advertising industry and the GPO paid the bills, the desire to create his own art persisted and he discovered an interest in sculpture, knowing immediately that this was what he should do. However sculpture being a very difficult career to get established in, he worked both careers simultaneously for many years until confident enough to drop the illustration and concentrate his time fully on sculpture. He has been a full-time sculptor for almost 20 years.

His sculpture style is described by galleries as representational or as he prefers to call It, realistic. The subjects vary from wildlife, to figure work and to ethnic Africa with the San people of Southern Africa a particular favourite.

Barry's work is renowned internationally and can be seen in boardrooms and reception areas of companies, private collections and game lodges throughout the world including the President's Residence in Cape Town.