
Upcoming Exhibits

A Murder of Crows
Opening Reception: January 31 6PM – 9:00PM
Location:
Pirate: Contemporary Art
7130 W 16th Ave
Lakewood, CO 80214
Hours:
Fridays 6-9 PM
Saturdays/Sundays Noon-5 PM
“The Crow wished that everything was black; the Owl that everything was white”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell ~ William Blake
I have created an exhibition of minimalist black, white, and gray compositions using upcycled materials and found objects with an emphasis on line and texture.
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During the run of this exhibition, visitors will be invited to add a thread to a panel painted with a black square and a white square. White, black and gray thread will be provided to string across the painting creating a web of intersecting lines.
Black and white are often used as metaphors in disputes regarding opinions, beliefs, worldviews and other matters of conscience. Good and Evil, Purity and Decadence, Right and Wrong, are represented in literature and art using light and dark, black and white. Black is defined as the absence of light and white is defined as the presence of all colors of the spectrum. Black and white are seen as opposites and when you mix them together you get some sort of gray of varying degree. The question that we each must ask ourselves is, “Can I sit with gray and be content?” Where do you draw the line, and where on that line does Truth lie?

Past Exhibits
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Propositional Truth:
A post-contemporary meditation
On View at 931 Gallery
931 Santa Fe Drive suite 150
Denver, CO 80204
Dates: August 16th - September 15
Hours Friday - Sunday 12 - 4
Opening Reception Friday Aug 16th 5 - 9
First Friday September 6th 5 - 9
The concept embodied in my work is an exploration of Order, Entropy and the passage of Time. I capitalize these concepts because I see them as having intrinsic characteristics; a life of their own that is out of our hands, and which parallel the truths of existence, life and death. I strive to be at peace with this. Although my images are non-objective and abstract, they are still deeply personal and act as a meditative process as I remember and forget and rest in the cycle of life and the Order of the universe.
My hope is that the viewer will find their own space between and among the lines; to respond to the tension, balance, symmetry or asymmetry, and textured layers within the space beyond the confinement of the lines. My intention is to remove social mores and norms, political/economic class, individual identifiers and demographics to provide a place of complex rest in the elegant simplicity of a line, a point, a circle. The foundation is that every line starts with a point, every line segment is the shortest distance between two points and parallel lines never intersect. Knowing these and other truths are axioms upon which order is tested. My work is accessible and does not seek to influence the viewer to any particular point of view other than their own discovery. My hope, however, is that they might find their own place of rest within the complexity of life.
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The materialism of negative space and substrate underlying my drawings are equal in importance to the lines, grids, and contours of form. The confinement of space, whether it is a minimalist color-field painting confined by a frame, or a square defined by a line, creates proportionality that can be easily apprehended. Without lines, a space can become an incomprehensible atmosphere, a landscape of broad expanse expressed in the poetic verse of writers and story tellers. The line, the mark, however, imposes restrictions on the viewer to provide a more intimate space within which they might meditate.

Beyond the Surface
April 19th - May 5th 2024, Fridays - Sundays
Opening Reception - April 19th, 5:00 – 9:00 PM
First Friday - May 3rd, 5:00 - 10:00
Core Art Space | 6501 W. Colfax | Lakewood, Colorado
This exhibition includes a collection of drawings, paintings and collage inspired by a minimalist aesthetic and punctuated by hard edge geometric designs. The depth of subtle layers of paint, applied in an organic manner serves as a vehicle for a closer look beyond the surface compositions. In Barton’s drawings, she intentionally leaves the graphic guidelines underlying the final structure. Structure and Form are used to present a narrative of the sometimes-elusive nature of rationality and objective truth.


A COMPLEX REST
August 11 - September 10, 2023 | Thus - Sun 12-4PM
931 Gallery | 931 Santa Fe Drive | Denver, CO 80204
“There is an elegant simplicity in a line, a point, a circle. Every line starts with a point. Every line segment is the shortest distance between two points. Parallel lines never intersect. Knowing these truths is an axiom upon which order is tested.”
- Jude Barton
In the context of Jude Barton's artwork, complexity is manifested through the interplay of lines, geometric elements, and the intricate arrangements of visual components. These intricate compositions challenge the viewer's perception and create a sense of intrigue. The complexity invites the viewer to explore the artwork more closely, seeking to decipher the underlying order and relationships between elements.
Moreover, complexity can also evoke a sense of curiosity and exploration. As the viewer navigates the intricate lines and geometric forms, they will also discover the subtle, pleasing variations in the background that act as a counterpoint and give depth to the composition.
Complexity, when purposefully employed, becomes a catalyst for deeper engagement rather than a mere distraction. It invites the viewer to slow down, observe, and reflect. The artist’s skill lies in balancing complexity with restraint, ensuring that the intricacies of the composition do not overpower the viewer, but rather guide them towards a place of tranquility and introspection.
In this way, complexity acts as a threshold to rest by capturing the viewer’s attention, encouraging a focused exploration, and ultimately providing a space for contemplation and repose. It is through the harmonization of complexity and rest that the viewer can find a profound sense of connection and serenity within the artwork.
Opening Reception
August 11th, 2023 | 5PM
Third Friday Collectors Night
August 18th, 2023 | 5:30-9:30PM
First Friday
September 1st, 2023 | 5:30-9:30PM
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Axiom #5
CONSTRUCTION ZONE
June 2 - 18, 2023 | Thus, Sat, Sun 12-5PM | Fri 5-10PM
Core Art Space | 6501 W.Colfax Avenue | Lakewood, CO 80214
Building on color and form, Jude Barton creates balanced bold compositions of hard-edge shapes and lines. She is committed to a nonobjective style of aesthetics that is accessible to all and embraces the idea of art for art’s sake. Barton trusts the viewer to take away that which they find valuable in her work as they interact with the geometry of intersecting lines and shapes. The lines and forms that occasionally emerge out of order from the grid or drop from the square, sometimes leaning or falling, are intentional anomalies that invite the viewer into reflection on movement, space, balance and order.
Also showcased in Barton’s Construction Zone exhibit are two invited guest artists: Denise Demby, showing sculptural constructions in steel and glass and Peder Morgenthaler exploring line, shape color and pattern. Morgenthaler and Demby both have modernist underpinnings to their style which will round out this exhibition with additional perspectives on formal construction.
Brunch Chat with the Artists
June 3rd, 2023 | 10AM-12PM
Artists' Reception
June 9th, 2023 | 5-10PM

POINT LINE PLANE
September 16 - October 16, 2022
Gallery 931, 931 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, Colorado
The point, the line and the plane are fundamental elements of design. Conceptually, these elements are the underpinnings of geometry, denoting location, direction, and shape. The exploration of these elements, and their relationship to each other is the inspiration of this show, POINT LINE PLANE: Works on Paper. Four artists join together to offer their individual interpretations of these basic building blocks of graphic art in a show of recent works on paper.
Special Event Solo Cello Performance
October 7th, 2022 | 6-8 PM
Featuring Anna Leavitt from Cloud 9 String Quartet