Charlie Barton is a contemporary artist working primarily with wood and the silkscreen process. He prefers to work with these mediums because of their versatility. Transforming a raw building material into a finished piece of art gives him a sense of accomplishment. Barton also likes to work with the wood because the finished product requires no distracting embellishment by frames and such. He learned his wood working skills from his father and middle school science teacher. His knowledge of silk screening was obtained during the two summers he spent working in garment printing. Charlie Barton uses recycled and reclaimed materials whenever possible. He often obtains his materials from used building supply houses and contractor left-overs. In addition to starting out with recycled materials when possible, he strives to minimize waste and maximize efficiency in his consumption of energy and materials.

His screen prints focus on a subject matter that is seen everyday but usually goes unnoticed. He takes interest in the lesser appreciated elements of urban landscapes. It is his belief that there can be beauty in industrial and civil architecture as well as the decay of environments and their physical structures. Barton’s prints follow a non-standard aspect ratio - 1:1 or 1:2 (or larger). He prefers to avoid 4:3 whenever possible. This is based on his delight in the unusual and distaste for the ordinary, which in turn is the basis for his life.