Humboldt artist Diane Dobson Barton has been an artist all her life, she said, and comes from “a family of makers.”
Her husband Jim works for the City of Humboldt, and they have two daughters, Beth Durham and Haley Barton.
Barton’s new exhibit at the Chanute Art Gallery runs from June 2 through July 11, and she will be hosting a virtual art talk on Facebook as well, including some drawing and painting lessons, which will take place June 13 at 1 p.m. (She invites people to send their questions beforehand.)
The Chanute Art Gallery’s current hours are Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., and is at 17 N. Lincoln Ave., just south of the library and Safari Museum.
Barton’s exhibit features a number of works with subject matter including human figures (heads and hands), family members (grandchildren), celebrity portraits (Buster Keaton), rural landscapes (Humboldt Hill), family pets (cats/dogs), and still-lifes of fruits and flowers (pears, grapes and tulips).
Her primary media used in the exhibit are oil paints and charcoal pencils.
Oils are Barton’s favorite, she said, especially “just the texture of it” and the smell, even if she admits accidentally inhaling it might not be the best for her health.
“IT’S a personal challenge” making art, Barton said, especially when it comes to painting and drawing people. “It’s like putting a puzzle together.”
She especially makes a point to try and “represent the people that are close to [her],” and delights in making depictions of her grandchildren.
The result is very intimate works that evince a clear love for their subject matter.
Barton has also done several portraits of famous strangers as well, “notable Kansas people,” including Amelia Earhart and Walter Johnson, where it seems a respect and care for their images really shines forth.
All told, Barton enjoys the catharsis found in art, and the “release” of emotions found therein.
As an introvert, she also said she especially likes the time alone, those extended moments of contemplation where “it’s just you and the material.”
BARTON grew up in Coffeyville. She earned an undergraduate degree in art education and a master’s in art, both from Pittsburg State University.
As a student, she tried her hand at quite a few different subject-matters and styles, including experimenting with a more postmodern approach.
“There was a time I did a lot of [work that was] abstract,” she said, which one can sense the traces of in a large three-panel work on display in the Chanute gallery’s front window.
