| Contact the Artist phone: 480.649.2789 web: barbaraburtonART.com email: uneven_press@msn.com |
Artist Biography
It can’t hurt to ask. I stood in front of my art
instructor trying to look needy and artistic while
maintaining an air of responsibility, intelligence
and slight aloofness. After only two months in
her printmaking class, I was requesting to use
the press, on my own, on Saturdays. In
exchange, I would give the print studio a
thorough cleaning every weekend. She agreed.
My first Saturday, after working forty hours and
attending classes, I had planned to spend a mere
three to four uninterrupted hours working on
some template ideas for class, and then home to
sleep. Twelve hours later, I was still at the press
madly sketching, cutting, inking, and printing. I
couldn’t stop! Some of the prints from that day
became part of my first series on clones. It was
the early 1990’s, right after Dolly the sheep had
been cloned into existence. I’m a bit of a news
junkie and the stories often seep into my work.
It can’t hurt to ask. I stood in front of my art
instructor trying to look needy and artistic while
maintaining an air of responsibility, intelligence
and slight aloofness. After only two months in
her printmaking class, I was requesting to use
the press, on my own, on Saturdays. In
exchange, I would give the print studio a
thorough cleaning every weekend. She agreed.
My first Saturday, after working forty hours and
attending classes, I had planned to spend a mere
three to four uninterrupted hours working on
some template ideas for class, and then home to
sleep. Twelve hours later, I was still at the press
madly sketching, cutting, inking, and printing. I
couldn’t stop! Some of the prints from that day
became part of my first series on clones. It was
the early 1990’s, right after Dolly the sheep had
been cloned into existence. I’m a bit of a news
junkie and the stories often seep into my work.
I was born in Pennsylvania and spent most of my childhood trees,
and huddling under garage eaves as rain poured down in
buckets. I came out west in my teens and, as an adult, I’ve been
making and exhibiting my artwork for the past twenty years in the
southwest. I obtained my degree in engineering in the 1980’s,
started a career as an analyst, and continued my studies in art.
I came to printmaking about 15 years ago and fell in love with the
process and immediacy. Printmaking is an ongoing exploration of
creativity. It combines a variety of expressive art forms; drawing,
painting, journaling, and book construction. It employs both sides
of the brain; requiring diligence in process while still allowing
spontaneity to exist. I’ve studied printmaking locally and
attended workshops with Julia Ayres, Michael Vigil, and John
Armstrong. I’ve also studied at the College of Santa Fe
Printmaking Center and Penland School of Crafts. I use low and
non-toxic printmaking materials and methods.
In recent years, my work has expanded to include alternate
materials. I often print on reclaimed papers. One of my recent
series is constructed from recycled tea bags and coffee filters,
printed on, and then sewn together. The largest of the pieces is a
five foot by five foot wall hanging; the imagery is moths of the
southwest. All these pieces include elements from nature in the
southwest either literally or figuratively. This work fits well with
the theme of renew and reuse that I find at The Farm at South
Mountain. I am pleased to be the Artist in Residence during the
spring months of April and May 2010.
and huddling under garage eaves as rain poured down in
buckets. I came out west in my teens and, as an adult, I’ve been
making and exhibiting my artwork for the past twenty years in the
southwest. I obtained my degree in engineering in the 1980’s,
started a career as an analyst, and continued my studies in art.
I came to printmaking about 15 years ago and fell in love with the
process and immediacy. Printmaking is an ongoing exploration of
creativity. It combines a variety of expressive art forms; drawing,
painting, journaling, and book construction. It employs both sides
of the brain; requiring diligence in process while still allowing
spontaneity to exist. I’ve studied printmaking locally and
attended workshops with Julia Ayres, Michael Vigil, and John
Armstrong. I’ve also studied at the College of Santa Fe
Printmaking Center and Penland School of Crafts. I use low and
non-toxic printmaking materials and methods.
In recent years, my work has expanded to include alternate
materials. I often print on reclaimed papers. One of my recent
series is constructed from recycled tea bags and coffee filters,
printed on, and then sewn together. The largest of the pieces is a
five foot by five foot wall hanging; the imagery is moths of the
southwest. All these pieces include elements from nature in the
southwest either literally or figuratively. This work fits well with
the theme of renew and reuse that I find at The Farm at South
Mountain. I am pleased to be the Artist in Residence during the
spring months of April and May 2010.
Artist - Barbara Burton
at the Farm at South Mountain
The Artist's Studio