edith pargh barton
Edith currently lives in Horsham, West Sussex, having moved to the UK from New York in 1980. After graduating with a BA in Art from Long Island University, she undertook various courses in Illustration and Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts, Manhattan. Subsequently she went on to study welding, metal forging, weaving, leather crafting and quilting at California State University, whilst also teaching Art in High School to underprivileged teenagers.
It is this grounding in traditional craft combined with her American heritage and the related cultural symbolism referencing self and place, which provide the backdrop against which Edith weaves the self-consciousness narrative underpinning her art practice. The outcome is objects and paintings, which reflect Edith’s unique interpretation of reality grounded as they are in her own deeply held cultural beliefs and biases.
Each painting and sculpture is a heart-felt response to the world that is not overthought or intellectual. There is honesty and openness in her work that connects with people on a profound level. This is especially true of her textile sculptures whose figurative forms inhabit the space between human and other, inviting the viewer to invest them with personal significance and meaning. There is a significant psycho-social element to Edith’s practice, with talisman, totems and taboos being recurring theme’s, imbuing a sense of mystery and otherness into her work. Hand constructed from fabric and embroidered and embellished in sometimes vibrant coloured threads, Edith’s unusual and unique textile sculptures are both organic and figurative in form. Reinterpreting the world from inside looking out, they are both familiar and unfamiliar in equal measure; disrupting the expected linear interpretation in both a challenging but also warm and humorous way.
Edith’s paintings contain stitch-like marks – looping threads and staccato tacks – scratched into the thick layers of paint. Working spontaneously and absorbed in the process of making, Edith makes instinctive decisions based on her engagement on an emotional and visual level. The technical processes involved in creating her sculptures demand an unhurried approach, whereas painting inspires a faster mode, often painting in a series to ensure the work is alive with invention. “I’m playing with paint; interested and engaged. The work and I have a dialogue”.
Edith has exhibited both in the UK, Europe and the US and is currently a member of Pure Arts group.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
“I first learnt of Edith’s work at The Curlew in Bodiam where she was exhibiting. My husband and I decided to I buy one of her paintings following a lunch. I like abstract painting and landscapes and was drawn by the colour and movement in the piece. After my husband tragically died, my mother suggested commissioning a painting from Edith in his memory. She was so struck by the painting we already had. I was unsure how sharing memories so personal could be captured in a way that was meaningful to me, but after sharing some photos of the landscape I wanted Edith to capture, her first set of sketches gave me hope she could capture the feeling I wanted and that she saw what I saw. As the process evolved, Edith took on the feedback I gave and produced three stunning oil paintings for me to choose from. It was a hard choice and I ended up with two of them. One of the paintings in particular has the power to make me cry. Through the deepest of sorrow, the paintings give me a little bit of light. My husband would be deeply moved if he knew. I can’t thank Edith enough for her brilliant work and helping me keep special memories alive.”