Eden Compton

American painter Eden Compton was born in Texas and raised in Ridgefield, CT. She owns and operates a fine art gallery and teaching studio in the Arts District of Saratoga Springs New York.

Eden and her husband, Richard, sailed professionally for many years before settling in upstate New York several years ago. They ran private sailboats and charter boats in the Caribbean, The Bahamas, and the East Coast of the US. “While my extensive travel has sparked an interest in different types of subject matter ranging from rural landscapes to rainy cityscapes to market scenes, my work is an attempt to synthesize memory painting based on observational studies and sketches.”

Compton paints in pastel, oil and gouache and typically begins with sketches and drawings done on location. Larger works are then completed in the studio where there is more time to develop the concept of the painting. “I prefer visual expressions of poetic concepts rather than literal interpretations of a scene. I am currently exploring more contemporary expressions of traditional subject matter in my work.”

Eden also credits her grandparents, well-known artists in Texas in the1940s, as one of her greatest influences. Her grandparents kept a studio in Mexico where they were known to paint occasionally with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

Her formal art education began with a BA in Art History from Colgate University and independent courses at the International Center of Photography in NYC. She has studied with many master artists in workshops and classes over the years. Her award-winning work has been included in national juried shows including the Catharine Lorillard Society, Salmagundi and the International Pastel Society as well as numerous regional and local shows. Her work can be seen in galleries in upstate New York and Boston. She is a juried member of the Degas Pastel Society, Oil Painters of America, and an Associate with Distinction of the American Women Artists Association.