Leslie Barton Art | Welcome to my Virtual Gallery

3

Artist Statement

My life, as both a photographer and painter, is an obsessive examination of humanity within the context of intimate settings.

Exploring the private drama of humans is endlessly fascinating to me and laden with boundless storytelling possibilities.

I use an array of visual language and painting styles to convey my ideas and feelings. Part of my creative process is to challenge myself technically. The challenges include painting pace, color mixing and material choice. I paint using bright, vibrating colors, promising a pleasurable connection. Upon closer scrutiny, however, ambiguous and ominous imagery require the observer to look beyond the cheerful palette to decipher a deeper meaning.

Within my art, I examine deeply private states of being, often hidden even from ourselves. Threaded throughout the bodies of work are themes of vulnerability, interdependence, desire and envy, challenging the viewer to confront emotions and experiences that otherwise would remain buried beneath the façade of everyday life.

DOMESTIC SKIN

The surfaces of these paintings appear bright and cheerful with simplistic child-like imagery. Upon closer inspection, a darker drama is implied.

The domestic narrative paintings are drawn from specific scenes I’ve witnessed in both my own and friend’s families. The horror and humor of domestic life is revealed as abstracted organic shapes, meant to represent specific characters engaged in a larger narrative. The title hints at a possible story for the viewer to imagine.

ABSORPTION – Acrylic on canvas – 34×64

CELLULAR DISTURBANCE – Acrylic on canvas – 24×48

DELICATE TENSION – Acrylic on canvas – 30×36

FORCED NESTING – Acrylic on paper – 20×24

EXQUISITE CORPSE #2 – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 30×80

HAPPY PLACE – Gouache on canvas sheet – 12×16

HAS YOUR HUSBAND SEEN THIS – Acrylic on Canvas – 48×72

HOLIDAY BLUES – Acrylic on Canvas – 60×72

MAN WITH SHORT ARMS – Acrylic on Canvas – 72×60

WHY LOOK – Acrylic on 25 – 6×6 Raw Canvas – 30×30

Mr. GUTSON’S WIFE – Acrylic on Cold Press Paper – 26×40

PASSAGE – Acrylic on canvas – 34×64

SEEPING – Acrylic on canvas – 34×64

SHE BURIED HER CHILDREN – Acrylic on canvas – 60×72

SKIMMING THE SURFACE – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

SWEEPING AUTONOMY – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

THE BOOKKEEPER’S DISTRESS – Acrylic on Canvas – 24×48

THE FOUNTAIN – Acrylic on Canvas – 34×64

THE OUTLIER – Acrylic on Canvas – 34×64

THEY STEAL YOUR BEAUTY – Acrylic on Canvas – 60×72

VEILED STATES

Presented as portraits, these gouache paintings were made quickly, each in a single day. A friend and I challenged ourselves to make a painting every day for 30 days.

The works probe our inner, submerged states of being. They enact dramas both real and imagined. The paintings are suspended between surreal and cartoonish alluding to both whimsy and fright.

BEJEWELED – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

BIRTHDAY GIRL – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

DICKIE – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

EYES OPEN – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

FRAGMENTED – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

HOLDING – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

IDEALIST – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

INSIDE OUT – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

ISSUES – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

PILOT – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

RELUCTANT – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

STAGE FRIGHT – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

STUNG – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

WE NEVER MARRIED – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

WHO’S BOYFRIEND – Gouache on Canvas Sheet – 12×16

MOUTHS OF
MY FRIENDS

This body of work was started as a painting-a-day challenge, each small painting completed in a single day. They are painted from photographs I made by asking friends and families to open their mouths. Surprisingly, very few resisted.

As with much of my work, these paintings probe the world within, both physically and psychologically. The interior space of the mouth is both repulsive and erotic. It is the channel of verbal expression. Our mouths are not only the artery for life, but also act as the channel for the inner world to be made public through speech and song. These paintings embody the infinite variation, yet ultimate sameness of humanity.

CELESTE – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

DAVID – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

DENNIS – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

ELIZABETH – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

GRACE – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

HAVEN – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

KEITH – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

LESLIE – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

LOUIS – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

PETE – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

RACHAEL – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

RENEE – Gouache on Water Color Paper – 6×6

THICKETS

This series draws on the genre of landscape painting exploring themes of human need and interdependence.

The works depict not only an above ground view of colorful, abstracted objects reminiscent of plants and trees, but the complex network of interconnection below the surface, showing the intermingling of life forms that might otherwise appear independent.

This work was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our well-being was dependent on the behavior of strangers while we were simultaneously thrown into near constant contact with our immediate families. The pandemic highlighted our broad interdependence of the global community. I aspire to expose our intense human interdependency in these works.

LIGHT ORANGE THICKET – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

NEW GROWTH – Oil Pastel On Canvas – 24×24

ORANGE THICKET – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

PINK THICKET – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

RED THICKET – Acrylic on Canvas – 30×36

YELLOW THICKET – Acrylic on Canvas – 11×17

GUARDIANS

Drawing on the genre of portraiture, the Guardian series are a whimsical blend of human, plant and insect figures presented as nearly life-size portraits.

They are based on the concept of the Guardian Angel, a protective spirit unique to each individual person, guarding us from harm.

These paintings were inspired by my secret desire to protect my teenage son during his tumultuous senior year doing high school on Zoom from his bed, isolated from anything resembling normalcy due to Covid. Two of the paintings hung on each side of my son’s bedroom door for over a year. He’s thriving now, so it must have worked!

EXQUISITE CORPSE #2 – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 30×80

GUARDIAN ANGEL #1 – Acrylic on Canvas – 33×64

EXQUISITE CORPSE #1 – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 30×80

GUARDIAN ANGEL #3 – Acrylic on Canvas – 33×64

GUARDIAN ANGEL #2 – Acrylic on Canvas – 33×64

BIOGRAPHY

Leslie Barton grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. After studying pre-med at University of Nebraska in Lincoln, she began to travel extensively around the world. After 28 moves, she landed in Los Angeles, where she continued her career as a photographer, founding what grew to be one of LA’s premier event photography businesses. During this time, she produced a Black & White art book entitled The Bride Revealed, published by Andrews McNeel.

In 2010, Leslie decided to further her creative education and study painting, earning her degree in studio arts at UCLA’s School of Art and Architecture, graduating magna cum laude. Her prior experience working as a documentary photographer is fundamental to her ability to observe small, intimate details of human behavior. These observations inform each body of work she produces. Leslie has exhibited in both group and solo shows in the United States and France.

EDUCATION

2012 Independent study with artist, Benjamin Britton

2011 Graduated magna cum laude from UCLA School of Arts and Architecture

2011 Studied painting with Lari Pittman and Roger Herman and photography with Cathy Opie.

2007-2009 Studied advanced painting at UCLA Extension

2008 Studied painting and color theory with Marie Thibeault

2006 Artists residency, Painters Edge, Idyllwild California

2003-2008 Independent study with artists, Lisa Adams and Renee Amitai

1976-80 Studied Photography and pre-med, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

WORK EXPERIENCE

1986-current Freelance photographer working throughout the USA & Mexico.
Photographed news, sports, editorial, events, and personal fine art projects.