Salt Lake City artist Deral Barton with two of his sculptures.

Deral Barton was a Salt Lake City-based artist, artisan and entrepreneur whose creative legacy is woven into Utah’s cultural landscape. He passed away on February 7, 2025, at the age of 90.

Born in Cedar City on October 16, 1934, Barton grew up in Salt Lake City, attending South High School before serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 to 1957. After his military service, he attended the University of Utah, where he studied drawing and painting with a minor in sculpture, earning several awards at student exhibitions. His artistic development there was guided by renowned Utah instructors such as Alvin Gittens, Douglas Snow, and Angelo Caravaglia.

Barton earned his BFA in 1964 and went on to pursue an MFA while teaching ceramics at the University of Utah and painting and drawing at the Salt Lake Art Center from 1963 to 1966. In 1965, he was among the first artists to show in the newly opened Phillips Gallery, then located at the 9th and 9th neighborhood of Salt Lake City, and maintained a relationship with the gallery until his death.

“There is much of the firm-edge pop art movement in Deral Barton’s oils,” George Dibble wrote of his work in 1967, “… but he proposes strong personal statements that identify works of this resourceful painter.”  Barton’s artistic influences were as eclectic as his career path. “My interests and influences stem from many areas; the occult, the metaphysical, the supernatural, the exotic, and my dreams,” Barton once said. He described his creative process as instinctive and organic: “I begin each work with only a vague idea of what I want to achieve — I have no precise outline or plan.” This intuitive approach allowed his works to evolve naturally, ensuring his artistic instincts shaped the outcome.

Barton worked in a variety of media, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, printmaking and ceramics. He also incorporated metals and plastics into his jewelry and sculpture. A 1968 work titled “Social Pressure Machine—Developed Principally to Challenge Individual and Group Ideals of Whats What in Environments of Intense Pressure” was described as “a painted three-dimensional device that involves a gold-covered intaglio face mask surrounded by a black format. A red framing device contains twin sealed-beam lamps. A grill design is achieved with variously viewed perspectives.” (George Dibble, Salt Lake Tribune, Jul 28, 1968)

“My paintings usually go a lot slower than sculpture,” Barton explained on his website, describing a patient process that allowed some canvases to change dramatically over time. Yet, he found that his most successful works “just flow and are done and finished without a great deal of effort.” He remained an active visual artist throughout his life, producing works that explored themes of mythology, mysticism, and the female form. His works often reflected his fascination with the “majestic as well as the serene,” blending classical aesthetics with the rebellious spirit of Pop Art, Dada, and psychedelia. His art is held in the permanent collections of institutions across Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon, as well as numerous private and corporate collections.

Deral Barton, “Creatures of the Id,” acrylic on cotton canvas, 40 x 80 in.

In addition to his fine art, Barton played a vital role in Salt Lake City’s counterculture scene, then centered in the 9th and 9th neighborhood. Alongside studiomates Fred Lyman and Ken Rodgers, he opened Skin Company Productions, Inc. in 1969, after department stores rejected the trio’s unconventional leather designs. “Department store buyers were too conservative,” Barton told the Salt Lake Tribune at the time (Oct. 19, 1969, p. 73). “They didn’t buy our way-out stuff and that’s the stuff that sells best.”

The group worked principally in cowhide but also in deer, elk, and their best sellers were leather pants they made for men and women. They expanded into sandals when Denis Phillips sold them his Good Sole Sandal Shop, and into the original Phillips Gallery space on the northwest corner of the 9th and 9th intersection when the gallery moved to its current location on 2nd South. Each artist created their own designs and sold their works out of the shop, which became a hub for the local hippie movement. On weekends they would open their doors for free concerts, and as Rodgers explained in an article for City Weekly, the general scene was a Salt Lake City-sized blend between Haight-Ashbury and Andy Warhol’s Factory.

The store’s leather vests, jumpsuits, and fringe-laden garments drew a devoted following, with customers ranging from Utah Stars basketball players to Hollywood actors such as Robert Ulrich. His custom designs appeared in productions like The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams and Touched by an Angel. As trends shifted, Barton’s work also appealed to Salt Lake City’s biker and LGBTQ+ communities, who sought out his precision-crafted leather chaps and other specialty garments. In 1972, Barton expanded his business with B&B Observatory, a custom leather goods and clothing retailer in Trolley Square Mall. Though his work was in demand, competition from imported leather goods and rising rents forced him to adapt.

Deral Barton, “Desert Scape,” 1987, watercolor on Arches, 30 x 20 in.

Barton returned to his roots in commercial art, operating Art & Sign Company, a company he bought from Denis Phillips in 1968 and ran until his retirement. He excelled in traditional hand lettering and gold leaf but later embraced digital technology, teaching himself design software and adopting vinyl plotting to stay current in the changing industry. Under Barton’s leadership, the company became known for large window splashes, full-color banners, car body wraps, and custom logos. His versatility as an artist allowed him to take on a wide range of creative commissions. Notably, Barton sculpted a scale-model car, illustrated book covers, and created oversized sculptures for promotional displays. Among his memorable commissions were a 50-gallon drum-sized replica of a Phillips 66™ oil can, a 10-foot crescent wrench and car muffler, and models of Godzilla and King Kong used to create giant promotional balloons.

Barton’s creative pursuits extended beyond leather and commercial art. Despite his busy career, Barton cultivated a deep love for learning and the outdoors. He appeared in local papers as much for his skills as an angler as for his artwork. In the early 1980s, Barton experimented with homebrewing beer and wine — even crafting a still in his basement to produce moonshine. He was also an enthusiastic golfer, sharing his love of the sport with friends and family.

He is survived by his wife, Tena Holbrook; his daughters, Metra Barton (Danny Poate) and Nova (Brian Hayes); his granddaughter, Persephone Poate. The family encourages those who knew him to celebrate his life by enjoying a drink, learning something new, or listening to the music of Chet Baker—a tribute to a man who embraced creativity, curiosity, and community throughout his life.

Deral Barton’s last work, “Untitled — after Guernica,” triptych, mixed media on canvas

All images courtesy of the estate of Deral Barton.

Shawn Rossiter

The founder of Artists of Utah and editor of its online magazine, 15 Bytes, Shawn Rossiter has undergraduate degrees in English, French and Italian Literature and studied Comparative Literature in graduate school before pursuing a career in art.