Austin Albert Barton

Austin Barton was born the 7th son on March 14, 1927, to Everett and Laura Barton, at his grandmother’s home in Portland, Oregon. The family transported the 3-week old Austin on the back of a pack mule to their homestead deep in Hells Canyon, near Joseph Oregon. He grew up a ranch hand, breaking horses, raising cattle and putting up loose haystacks. Austin would recount feeding livestock by pitchfork, “from loose stack to horse-drawn wagon, then offloading to the cattle. Paid a dollar per day”

He told a story of climbing on an “ornery, barren mare” in the barn. She had taken a mind to buck him off; soon they broke through the back wall of the barn. He sums the experience up saying, “that hurt.”

Austin went to grade school and high school in Joseph, Oregon up to the eleventh grade. While there he played on the football and basketball teams and was a golden-gloves boxer in the Valley. He said, “My Joseph high school class size was about large enough to make the football team.”

After a stint working in an aircraft factory in Portland in the early days of World War II, Austin served from November 1944 to August 1946 in the Navy on board ship as a Radioman Third Class, receiving an Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Finishing his service on the island of Guam, he recalled, “because of all of the critters running around, any food not in cans had to be suspended from the ceiling on strings.”

After coming home from the War, Austin started a family in Joseph, Oregon while working various jobs, including driving a creamery truck, selling bibles, fighting fires, as a barber, bus driver and as a carpenter during construction of the Hells Canyon dams. A severe back injury while working on the dams at the age of 29, forced him to seek a career change.

As a child, Austin exhibited a natural talent for drawing and sketching, doodling small figures around the perimeter of his school papers, invoking the ire of his teachers. It was this talent that provided Austin the path to his new career in commercial art and eventually sculpting. His loving wife, Shirley, supported him in his efforts while they raised their eight children and working together, they eventually achieved international recognition producing fine western bronze art.

Austin’s imagination was inspired by those early years on ranches in the backcountry of the Blue Mountains. Those simple moments of his youth are still alive in his art. Surrounded by family and art works in progress, Austin passed on to his late wife Shirley’s arms at home 15 days short of his 90th birthday.

Austin is survived by; Al Barton, Tim Ryerse, Debby Groth, Teresa Ryerse, Janet Clements, Jim Barton, Louella Bennett & Gayle Ryerse.