About the Artist: Suzanne Barton
March 2022 Issue
About the Cover Artist — Suzanne Barton
By Kelly Hunter
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, mixed-media artist Suzanne Barton moved to South Florida 50 years ago. She had been an amateur photographer since childhood, but meeting portrait photographer Willie L. Hill changed her life. The man Suzanne calls “my teacher, my friend, my critic and constant support” convinced her to go professional in 1985. Thirty years later, her life would change again when she took the plunge into underwater photography.
Suzanne discovered her affinity for water when she moved to the coast. She says, “Water is vital to life as we know it. It supports us in the womb, energizes, purifies and cleanses. Water symbolizes purity, clarity, growth, illumination and transformation. Our bodies average 70 percent water and our blue planet slightly more. The feeling of enhanced well-being around water is universal to all. This effect, known as blue mind, reduces stress and anxiety.”
Suzanne’s love for water is so strong, her artist statement is a poem called “Aqua Vita.”
Her first underwater fine art series was titled “Tiny Dancer.” Through that experience, Suzanne discovered the grace, fluidity of movement, the soothing quiet and calm beneath the surface. “Along with the weightless connection between myself and my subject, it all left me transformed.” From that first series came a commission from Royal Caribbean for two pieces that are now part of the permanent collection aboard their “Harmony of the Seas” ship.
This month’s cover art is “Goddess of the Turtles,” part of Suzanne’s Mythical Maidens Series. That collection honors the Old Masters. Suzanne’s aim is to “join them to the modern world using multi-media backgrounds of alcohol inks and acrylics created on canvas. I hope my art brings joy to your senses and leaves you transformed as well.”
Suzanne also devotes her time to helping others. She serves on the board of Glam-A-Thon, an event benefitting women and their families affected by breast cancer. In addition, she donates her photography skills to the event. Although her underwater fine art is her main focus at the moment, Suzanne has also experimented with other ways to take photography to the next level. She has spent countless hours in a closet capturing light trails for a series of abstract pieces exploring color and form. We encourage you to visit her websites to see the breadth of art Suzanne has created.
Suzanne’s unique and evocative work may be seen at the following galleries: Mary Martin Art Gallery, Charleston, SC; Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts, Dania, FL; Posh Design Studio, Delray Beach, FL; GALLERYone Hilton Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Examples of Suzanne’s work may be viewed and purchased online at SuzanneBartonFineArt.com, SuzanneBarton.com and Underwater-Fine-Art.com.
To commission a piece, click “Contact Us” on SuzanneBarton.com.