Artist Spotlight: Karen Barton-Gray’s Baby Dill Pickles

Karen Barton-Gray’s Masterpiece

Karen Barton-Gray is a lifelong painter who is based in Puyallup, WA. Her interest in art began at a very early age. “As a child, I started painting all of the horses I ever wanted to own, and that was many,” she said. Throughout her life, she continued to paint whenever time allowed. After retiring from a career in teaching, she decided to pursue painting at a professional level.

“We are fans of Mt. Olive products, and all I had to do is raid the pantry to find my painting subject. We like Mt. Olive Kosher Baby Dills because they taste great and are cute. ‘Cute’ comes in handy for painting purposes and is a good characteristic.”

“I chose the Mt. Olive Kosher Baby Dill jar from my pantry because the bold lettering, the little red ‘Fresh Pack’ logo on the label, and the interesting arrangement of the pickles inside the jar drew my attention. Next, I posed the pickles on a shelf in the morning light and snapped an image for reference as lighting changes quickly. I then drew out the jar and lettering on the panel. Thereafter, I created an underpainting on which I painted the desired colors.”

Karen used professional grade oil paints on raised panel boards to create the Baby Dill paintings. These types of paintings can be placed on a wall framed or unframed.

“My passion for painting food art comes from the fact that food is an integral part of our daily lives. I choose my subjects by their design, color, purpose, and perhaps by their popularity in today’s transient culture. They represent popular food items that are associated with the era that we live in. My goal and enjoyment comes from selecting subjects that speak to the viewer in an aesthetic, current, or a nostalgic way.”

I love when people enjoy the aesthetics of my art and have a personal connection with it. Artistically speaking, I love color! I enjoy mixing and blending colors and creating texture, as well as, visual contrasts on the subject or in the surrounding area of the subject matter.”

Karen Barton’s art is represented and available at: 

www.ugallery.com/artist/Karen-Barton

Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/KarenBartonArt

Website: www.kbartonart.com

Instagram: @kbartonart