Expressive, Flamboyant, and Free – The Personality of Bronwyn Barton’s Art

Q. What made you start painting after working in finance? 
A. I’d always enjoyed creating and had tried my hand at
lots of different things over the years from sewing clothes, applique, mosaics, ceramic painting. When I finished my role with IBM it gave me the opportunity to explore more creative avenues. I was at a charity dinner and bid (and won) some art classes…that was the beginning of a love affair for me, I love the physical process of playing with paint and the marks I can create with it. It’s a passion,
I get a bit titchy if I’m away from the studio for too long.

Q. What does that feeling of escape look like for you in
the studio?
A. I think the ultimate feeling of escape is when I don’t realise that hours have passed where I’m not thinking about my ‘to do’ list, or things that might be happening in my personal life. I’ll have some good music on that I sing and dance along with and I’m just totally immersed in the physical process of applying paint.

Q. If your style had a personality, how would you
describe it?
A. I think expressive, I’m one of those people that talks
with their hands, the one that knocks over the wine glass at the dinner table and I think that shows through in my art. I’m not trying to portray accurate representation of
my subjects but more their personality. In my botanical works, the plants may be flamboyant, the life of the party or they might be shy and retiring. I try to convey these characteristics with my use of colour, lines, and marks.

Q. Why do you enjoy using textured methods like scraping and layering?
A. Interestingly, my artworks look more textured than
they feel to touch. I work on poly cotton canvas which is super smooth and so while some areas can have lots of layers the overall artwork is smooth. I love the richness
and ambiguity that layering gives to an artwork. It might
be a thin translucent veil or a strong opaque splotch.
Each serves a purpose and creates a feeling to the work. 

Q. What do you ask yourself while exploring your ideas?
A. Experimentation is a big part of my process so I’m quite
often asking myself ‘what if I…’ Essentially I’m trying to
convey a feeling to a work and so I’m asking myself what
can I add (or subtract) from an artwork to give more of
that feeling. It might be strong line, or more muted colour, softer edges, or more contrast and then working out how
to achieve that.

Q. What do you love most about where you live?
A. I feel so fortunate to live here in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on an acreage block full of lush sub tropical plantings and natural bushland. Looking out into the
bush intrigues me as I look at the shapes and layers. 
There’s so much movement as even a slight breeze starts
the trees dancing. The bird life is prolific and so there is
the constant sounds of their calls. Kookaburras, whipbirds,

parrots, honeyeaters…its quite raucous here each morning
at sunrise.   

Q. What natural things inspire you on your walks? 
A. Decaying plant matter is a big drawcard, I particularly love the shapes of leaves as they are drying out and curling, their tatters and imperfections. When painting, I concentrate on the space between objects as much as the objects themselves and so observing these areas when walking around or just looking out into the garden instils imagery into my memory bank for when I’m in the studio.

Q. Do you have a favourite quote or saying that
inspires you?
A. ‘You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just
need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens’ by Mandy Hale. That’s pretty much how I start each painting.

Q. Is there a particular colour you feel drawn to again
and again? 
A. I go through phases with colour, green has been quite dominant in my works for a while now which I find strange because there was a time when I steered right away from
it. To be honest I seem to jump from one colour palette to another as I get a bit bored if I do a series of paintings at once with the same palette.

Q. What’s one thing you can’t live without in your studio?
A. My paint tin opener! Its my favourite tool to scrape
back into wet paint. I can make a strong forceful line, a meandering path amongst the colour or a discreet non descript mark. Its never far from my fingertips.

Q. Do you have a dream travel destination for creative inspiration?
A. Last year I was lucky enough to go to Italy and I was inspired by the different colours typical of the regions we visited. From the muted neutrals of the ruins of Rome to the vibrant colours of Venice. It was a feast for the eyes.
I’d like to do a series of paintings based just on the colours of each of the places we visited.

Q. What’s something simple that brings you joy
every day?
A. Sitting in my egg chair on my back deck looking out into the trees and taking in the sounds.