Katie Barron: Odd and Unusual

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Katie Barron, "See Horse," 2019

oil on canvas, 30" x 30"

Opening at artsPlace in Canmore, AB, on August 19, 2019

Baby bottles stuffed with candy and toy horses suspended in bright blue Jello—emerging artist Katie Barron aims to delight and confuse with the opening of her first solo show, Odd and Unusual.

At first glance, the works that constitute Odd and Unusual appear to be photographs; however, upon closer inspection, they reveal themselves as hyper-detailed oil paintings. Subjects of Barron's work mainly include decadent foods transformed by the addition of an unusual and often uncomfortable element. Painted in vibrant colours with deep shadows on black backgrounds, they are reminiscent of Baroque oil paintings, yet modern and youthful.

“I want to surprise people,” Barron says, “I want to completely defy the expectations of what belongs together. A lot of the foods in my paintings are things that I savoured as a child, and I think the strangeness of the combinations of subjects kind of adds to that child-like appeal. A lot of people will relate to at least some of the pieces; there is familiarity in my paintings even if they are paired with strange additions.”

Katie began oil painting while visiting Australia in 2018 and is entirely self-taught. Though oil painting is relatively new to her, she has been passionate about art from a very young age and experimented with many mediums before settling on oils. Earlier this year, she received Canmore's 2019 Lamphouse Endowment for the Arts: Emerging Artist Bursary. Odd and Unusual will take place as a part of the RISE Emerging Artist Program facilitated by artsPlace. The goal of RISE is to cultivate Alberta’s emerging artists by pairing an exhibition opportunity with mentorship by a local art professional. Participating artists will build experience in exhibition design, installation and professional practice. Prepare to be entranced and bewildered by Barron's mouthwatering, albeit odd food paintings.