Introducing Freya Louise Barton
Introducing Freya Louise Barton
Where is home for you?
I live in Berkshire and my studio is at home in a building in my garden. I also spend as much time as possible on The Roseland in Cornwall as we have a family house there. I live with my husband Alex and our two children. My husband is an amazing gardener so he grows many of the flowers I use in my paintings. My son is Autistic and so being able to have a job which not only do I love but is flexible around his needs works well for our family. My daughter spends time with me in my studio and has inherited the creative gene!
I live in Berkshire and my studio is at home in a building in my garden. I also spend as much time as possible on The Roseland in Cornwall as we have a family house there. I live with my husband Alex and our two children. My husband is an amazing gardener so he grows many of the flowers I use in my paintings. My son is Autistic and so being able to have a job which not only do I love but is flexible around his needs works well for our family. My daughter spends time with me in my studio and has inherited the creative gene!
Tell us a little more about your passion for Art.
My real passions are painting and colour. Obviously they cross over in my work but colour also infiltrates every part of my life from the clothes I wear to the interiors of my home. Painting is a part of who I am. I feel like I need to paint to keep me grounded and calm and as a natural response to the world I observe around me. I sometimes describe my work as moving colour around with a stick! I’m happiest with a paintbrush in my hand. This year I joined a collective of artists called Made in Pewsey Vale. Ive got a solo exhibition in Pewsey in February and another solo exhibition in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk Coast in August this year. I honestly feel so lucky that I am able to pursue my passion as a job. It's the best feeling in the world.
How did you discover your interest in Art?
I went to a school which heavily encouraged the academic subjects over the creative subjects so I didn’t take the most straight forward route into what I do today! I went off to St Andrews Uni to study History but by my second year I had realised I didn’t want to be on that pathway. I left and went back to college to study an Art Foundation before starting a Degree at Winchester School of Art in Textile Design. When I finished my degree I worked in print design before I stopped to look after my young children. I had always painted as a part of the design process but in the first lockdown I had more time to paint for the joy of painting and I haven’t stopped since!
I went to a school which heavily encouraged the academic subjects over the creative subjects so I didn’t take the most straight forward route into what I do today! I went off to St Andrews Uni to study History but by my second year I had realised I didn’t want to be on that pathway. I left and went back to college to study an Art Foundation before starting a Degree at Winchester School of Art in Textile Design. When I finished my degree I worked in print design before I stopped to look after my young children. I had always painted as a part of the design process but in the first lockdown I had more time to paint for the joy of painting and I haven’t stopped since!
How does nature inspire you?
In so many ways. I often paint landscapes which I love. The colours I include in my work I see in the landscapes, from pink and lilac stripy fields to glowing yellow undertones in the skies. I also paint big bright bunches of flowers which I take inspiration from my garden and the flowers my husband grows me. Many of my paintings also include animals and insects. In fact, now I think about it I think pretty much all my paintings are inspired by nature.
What do you love most about time spent in nature ?
The time I feel I get to most connect with nature is when we are down in Cornwall. I think the Southern Coast of Cornwall is the most beautiful place in the world (shhh.. don’t tell anyone!) The hedgerows are like mini rainforests with such an abundance of flowers and ferns and plants we just don’t see where I live in Berkshire. The little coves dotted along the coastal path and the way the farm land and rocks meet the sea are so grounding. Its raw beauty reminds me that I am just a creature who happens to be on the earth at this particular time and I find that a very life affirming feeling. It grounds me in my humanity and ancestry (my grandmothers family hail from this part of Cornwall). All of this feeds into my work as it is natural fuel for creativity.
What is your favorite way to spend a weekend/ How do you like to spend your free time?
Nothing extravagant, I love to be at home with my husband and children. Perhaps a dog walk (we have two Standard Wire hair Dachunds). Good food (my husband is an amazing cook) and a glass of wine. We are rewatching The Durrells at the moment as a family which is a great feel good winter series to remind us of the sunshine on these days of long darkness. Because my work is something I love to do, it often blurs into my free time as its my favourite thing to spend time doing. I love it when my daughter comes into my studio with me and we work alongside each other, listening to an Agatha Christie on Audible as we work!
How would you describe your style?
My painting style is colourful. Playful. Elements of 2D and reinterpreting scale.
My clothing style is also colourful! I love mixing new pieces with vintage finds. My favourite coats are all vintage pieces. One of the things I love about Cape Cove are the colours you use. You don’t shy away from colour and embroidered designs and a gorgeous bit of artwork on a sweater, what’s not to love. Colour lifts the soul and feeds the creative fire so I wear bright colours every day.
Which are your three favourite pieces of Cape Cove clothing and why? I absolutely love love love my Yellow Towelling Midi Dress. I wore it all last summer and had so many people ask me about it on the beach in Cornwall!
I also have a gorgeous baby cord blouse with shell embroidery on which I completely love. In fact, all the Cape Cove embroidered blouses are a favourite, I would wear them all. The unusual embroidered designs just elevate them into something much more arty and interesting.
On my wish list are one of you gorgeous velour jumpsuits or the hooded changing coats.. if my exhibition in February goes well I’ll treat myself!
If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be and why?
India. I think the colours and vibrancy of the country and culture would be so inspiring. Indian food it my favourite, plus, my daughter is named after the country so I feel I really ought to go!
