Rhonda Burton
ABOUT
Growing up in Los Angeles as a child in the early 1960’s, art was always something Rhonda Burton knew she would pursue in her life. Between spending time in the garden with her grandfather as a young child and finding her mother painting in their kitchen at night, she knew creating art from the garden was somehow going to be in her future.
She began seriously making art in her early twenties after meeting a friend taking an art class at a local art school. It immediately resonated with her, and she felt she had found her calling. She began taking classes, and in a very short time began teaching watercolor. She started to exhibit her work locally, made some sales, and had a number of commissions.
After a divorce, and as a single mother of 2 small children, Burton made the difficult decision to leave her teaching and painting career to work in the corporate world to support her children. It took her nearly 30 years to find her way back to creating art and doing something that she truly loved.
Restarting her art practice again, her work evolved from abstraction to realism, from watercolor to photography and mixed media. She flourished, and was accepted into a number of artistic organizations, including the National Watercolor Society, Women Painters West, and the LA Art Association.
Inspired by the garden and botanicals, Burton is fascinated by the strength, line, grace, and beauty of nature. Her photographic work has been utilized in everything from stationery, fabric, and calendars to hand-held fans. But feeling a strong desire to interact with the paper more, she began printing her photographs on fine art paper and using color pencil, pastels, and collaged papers to enhance and embellish the images. These are the techniques and processes she utilizes today, building up the color and texture to create fine art work that is completely unique and always one-of-a-kind.
Her work has been featured in a number of publications including CanvasRebel, Coffee with Artists, Conception Arts, and Artist Portfolio Magazine, and has been shown in galleries in Los Angeles and New York.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Being creative to me means looking at the world a bit differently, up-close, and intimate, really focusing on details. It is at the intersection of art and nature where I am happiest.”