John Barton was born December 7, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. John’s father was a welder and part-time lay minister and he drew a bit himself. His mother led a disturbed life and died at forty-five of acute alcoholism. Because of his parents’ problems, John experienced a very tough and deprived upbringing.
John always liked to draw, especially at school. At age 14, he ran away from home and quit school. At age 17, John enlisted on the Marines. He painted pictures of his friends at the time. At 23, he married and had 5 children, one of whom died. He divorced several times, remarried several times and always continued to paint.
His artwork was never appreciated until later in life, and in fact, he destroyed a lot of his paintings because he thought they were not valuable financially. Even though he had no feedback or enthusiasm from the art world, he always believed that his art had its own unique worth. “My paintings grew out of my experiences, thoughts, feelings. I’m 60 years old and I’ve wondered what all this means. Needless to say, it’s part of me. I’ve been an artist ‘on the outside’ maybe all my life – self-taught, if that’s possible.”
In August 2002, John called Laurie Ahner of Galerie Bonheur to ask her opinion of his artwork. Laurie saw the work and was immediately taken aback, impressed and enthusiastic about the obvious talent and deep message from this unknown artist who only lived 15 minutes from her home. John says of this meeting: “Since getting in touch with [Laurie], I’ve gained or regained some enthusiasm. The last two years I had almost given up and found it extremely difficult to continue my artistic work. Now I’m at it again- some new things completed, some in process, others in my mind, heart, notes.”
John’s new work is richly profound, with messages both political and spiritual, sometimes tinged with pain. He is not doing art to ‘please’ or to decorate a home; he creates as a response to his own life experience. In this sense, he is a true ‘Outsider Artist,’ having been painting in isolation for almost all of his life.
His paintings are remarkably fertile. Many of the most important works reflect Biblical passages relating to the Revelations, Heaven, Hell, the Resurrection, the Ascension, etc. His painting technique is striking and expressive. Emotive faces are rendered with an astonishing level of energy and skill, with agitated, seemingly effortless brush strokes that are immediately alluring. John is able to transport viewers into a meditative space, communicating his message with proficiency, without sacrificing sensitivity.
Galerie Bonheur is the agent for John Barton’s work. He continues to paint everyday at his home/studio in Illinois and has retired from his jobs to pursue his artwork full-time. He says he will never run out of inspiration for his artwork. Ideas and images come to him at night in his dreams and sometimes wake him from sleep.
John Barton is a talented artist whose mind is always creative and whose intellectual outpour is non-stop. His artwork is expressive, emotionally charged, imaginative and full of powerful messages. He has many styles and does not always paint in the same manner; in fact his canvases sometimes include collage effects with the application of discarded materials such as miniature toys, or of various kinds of paint and varnish, with the medium always being symbolic in its purpose.
John Barton’s work will surprise, tantalize and shock. He is a visionary in the truest sense of the word: his visions become real in the form of paint and canvas. His message is clear: watch me and pay attention! I want to show you, the viewer, what is happening, has happened and can happen in the world! This Outsider Artist deserves our notice and awareness.
Memories From Afar
Confusion - Who am I?
The Beginning
The Artist
Give Me Equality
Marbles
Blind Walk
One Insane World
Man With Thoughts
Suicide Club