Madison Artists Guild Gallery is proud to welcome celebrated quilter, watercolorist, teacher, and quilting author Elizabeth Barton as its next special exhibition artist.
The public is invited to a free opening reception in honor of Ms. Barton and her exceptional work on Friday, Oct. 27, 6-8 p.m. The evening features a meet and greet with the artist, a catered reception from Harvest & Honey, and live music. Titled Quilts & Watercolors, the exhibition will remain at MAGallery through Nov. 25, and all works are available for purchase.
Born in York, England, Barton was educated in both England and the United States before emigrating to the U.S. and working in health services at UGA in Athens. While quilt making began as a hobby, Barton’s focus on art quilts earned her an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and acceptance into Quilt National, a world-renowned exhibition of art quilts.
What is an art quilt? Barton explains: “It’s painting with fabric. I start with a cloth that I have painted, cut into pieces, and then reassembled. Several layers are put together and stitched intensively to add texture and meaning.”
Barton’s talent extends to watercolors as well, in which she reveals the hidden beauty of the natural world in the imagery of places she knows. Everyday environments are captured in the quilts and watercolors alike – cityscapes, industrial and rural landscapes – in which the viewer sees repeated patterns of natural and/or architectural forms.
The artist’s resume reads as a “who’s who of shows” that stretches from California and Washington State to the East Coast (New York City, Asheville, Athens, Atlanta) and across the Atlantic to Birmingham, England.
She has been selected as a repeat participant in national juried shows including Quilt National, Visions, Art Quilt Elements, and Quilts=Art=Quilts. Her work is in various private and public collections including the University of Georgia, Mercer University, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
MAGallery is a retail art gallery that showcases the original work of over 20 artists and eight authors and hosts special exhibitions like Quilts & Watercolors. Located at 125 W. Jefferson Street in Madison. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Madison Artists Guild is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to education and encouragement of artistic endeavor in its members and the community, and it supports local artists and their talents through MAGallery. For more information, please visit TheMadisonArtistsGuild. org or call 706-342-9360.