A second-generation California native, Stuart Burton grew up in San Diego. Since obtaining his B.A in Fine Art in Painting and Printmaking from San Diego State University, Stuart has devoted his life to the pursuit of making, promoting and teaching art. Stuart has had over 40 solo shows and his works have been included in more than 75 group exhibitions in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Stuart has been using the landscape as his primary subject for exploring color, light, and texture in painting. His subjects range from the canyons, cliffs, and mesas of the Southwest, to the flora and fona of the coasts of Baja, to the mountains and streams of the California Sierras and the Colorado Rockies.
He currently holds memberships in the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, the Impressionist Society of America, San Diego Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A popular workshop instructor, he has conducted workshops all over San Diego County. His time is also in demand for demonstrations of his techniques in oil and acrylic painting, printmaking, and for his professional opinion as a juror.
An avid fan of the Southwest and the state of Baja California in Mexico, he is often on road trips to document the sights for future paintings. Stuart’s paintings portray the natural land and coastal landscapes in their vivid intensity or subdued power.
Aside from painting, Stuart spends his time with wife, Kathy, their dogs and cats at home in San Diego, and at the stables with their horses.
Statement
At this stage in my life, painting feels less about proving anything and more about listening. After decades of working as an artist and teacher, I am experiencing a septuagenarian renaissance marked by renewed clarity and focus. With time has come a deeper patience and a heightened sensitivity to what exists beneath the surface of things.
The landscapes that backdrop my life have long been my primary subject. These environments carry an energy shaped by time, weather, and quiet endurance, and it is that underlying vitality that guides my work. I remain present in these environments, spending extended time observing, walking, and photographing the land. These moments in nature inform the work that begins later in the studio. My aim is not replication, but to carry the feeling of that presence into the painting.
I am interested in the aura behind every living thing. Granite, water, trees, and light all carry an energy shaped by time and endurance. My process centers on translating that underlying vitality through color, light, and surface. Accuracy matters, but fidelity to experience matters more. The painting must hold what the place feels like, not just what it looks like.
Working at this point in my life brings both patience and urgency. Time feels precious, and that sharpens attention. Each painting is an act of presence and respect, grounded in careful observation and a sustained relationship with the land.
Ultimately, these works are about reverence. They reflect my belief that landscapes are not inert backdrops, but living entities with their own spirit and resonance. Through paint, I seek to make that aura visible, inviting viewers to slow down, look closely, and feel the enduring life within the land.