Karen Barton

When Karen Barton was a child her drawings were detailed, but typical for her age.  She was unusual in that she was gifted with an insatiable drive to draw and to do it well.  by the time she was through Highschool, her only goal was to be an artist and she was already accomplished in portrait pencil drawing from life.  She was educated in graphic design, in Spokane WA and later worked in a design studio in Phoenix AZ producing line art for ads. 

Karen has stayed with portraiture since her youth because it is never boring and always rewarding.  With the simple combination of time, focus, and simple art materials she has captured the charm of a child, the spark of personality in a mom or dad or that individual look of a beloved pet.  She began working in pastels in 1988 and it is her main medium for portraiture however, she does great with oils as well. 

Karen was married in 1997 to a rancher.  She was surrounded by the ranching culture, and it showed in her artwork and even in the portrait paintings.  

Her goal as an artist has always been to define what she sees as beauty, and find a way to call attention to God's a masterpiece that surrounds us.  "I am an artist simply because it fascinates me that paint, pencil, or pastels, when skillfully applied to a two dimensional surface, can cause our eye to see depth, atmosphere, sunlight, life and even the nuances of facial expression that make each of us unique. 

Expressions staff describe her as talented across the board.  She can do it all, buildings, landscapes, portraits realism, loose styles, and she can do all of those subjects in multiple mediums skillfully.