Jill Barton

Biography

Imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, the Japanese aesthetic known as wabi-sabi perhaps best reflects the essence of Jill's paintings. Reoccurring images—Buddhas, butterflies and wild horses—present themes of transformation and freedom. Her bold still lifes and landscapes reflect this same spirit, incorporating textural layers of oil and often metal leafs to create a seemingly timeless yet contemporary look.

Jill painted her first oil at the age of eight. She studied under the tutelage of her mother, Dawna Barton, whose art can be seen in almost every country in the world. She has studied as well with master artist, Ovanes Berberian, but her greatest influence is most likely the ancient masters of Asia, whose elegant and lyrical styles are, for her, the epitome of beauty.

An accomplished poet, Jill majored in creative writing at the University of Utah. In the 1980's, she created and helped build a successful art publishing company, which is now part of the prestigious New York Graphic Society Publishing Group.

Today, Jill lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her three daughters. Jill believes that true art—an intimate expression of the human soul—manifests only through grace. She tries to live her life in the spirit of the ancient poet Wu-Men who wrote:

10,000 flowers in spring the moon in autumn a cool breeze in summer snow in winter

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things this is the best season of your life.