SONIA BARTON

Born in 1958, Sonia gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Staffordshire University in the 1980's following which she was invited to join the post-graduate Diploma in Fine Art Printmaking at Brighton College of Art, gaining the highest grade of Honours. Following her studies at Brighton, Sonia was offered places on MA Fine Art courses at Edinburgh and Central Schools of Art, London. She decided though to pursue the direction of teaching in art education and had a successful career, achieving Head of Art in Oxfordshire. Since leaving teaching to concentrate on painting Sonia spent time developing her own work. Carefully chosen objects collected over many years, flowers and fragments of patterns are a constant source of inspiration. Something extraordinary happens when these everyday objects evolve into a still life on the canvas. The shapes and colours interact with the background textures displaying the sheer joy and exuberance of using paint that is a hallmark of her work. The paintings have a unique, rich, surface quality, and bold use of colour. Working in acrylic she will rub back the initial layer of pigment to create an undertone of colour that creates a texture and depth to the picture.