Hello! My name is Mary Jane Burton. I was born in Whittier, California then lived in Pocatello, Las Vegas, Fresno, Brea and finally moved to Menlo Park, California during high school. After high school graduation, I was excited to go to Brigham Young University to study art. I had always wanted to do art. I loved drawing Snoopy cartoons or making a fireman book when a youngster, and painting blown-out egg shells with a paint-filled syringe or learning to draw in perspective in high school art classes.

 

After graduating from BYU in Art and Design, where I won first place for a self-portrait done in oils in the student art show, I married a cool guy and we had five awesome kids. I quickly found out that when I did have some down time, oil painting was too stressful with cute kids running around getting into it. So, I happily focused on drawing and watercolor painting.

 

Besides for fun, I used my art talent to support the PTA, my kids’ schools and our church. Some of my work included drawing a large mural of Lone Peak (the real mountain) for Lone Peak Elementary School which they displayed in their front foyer for many years. Also, I designed and painted a huge backdrop for the Alta High School La Scelles Dance Team when they competed in Florida at the National Championships. Another project was designing and drawing several large murals for our church’s “Christmas in Jerusalem” nativity evening.

 

When my youngest was in high school, I went back to BYU to earn a teaching certificate in art. I taught art and ceramics to the more sedate high schoolers at Alta High School and then to the cute and rowdy middle schoolers at South Jordan Middle School. It was fun trying out different mediums and themes with the students, getting to know them
and watching their art talents grow.

Now that I am retired, I get to do all the oil painting I want plus watercolor, oil pastel and Prismacolor. I love scrumptious clouds, mountains, flowers, humans - all Heavenly Father’s brilliant creations - and putting them down creatively in thick, luscious oil paint, beautiful, clear watercolor or slick, creamy oil pastel! I hope you enjoy my artwork!