Toni Carlton is a multi media artist, owner, director and curator of Carlton Gallery, in Banner Elk, North Carolina, where she exhibits her own pieces as well as work from local, national, and international artists. Carlton Gallery originated in 1982 as a weaving studio but rapidly evolved into a gallery featuring fine art and handmade crafts and celebrates over twenty-five years of business in 2008. Toni’s more recent artwork includes mixed media collages incorporating some of the weavings from her fiber background and her Appalachian heritage in the mountains of NC, USA.

On a personal note Carlton says, "My hope is that my original creations open our hearts and touch our souls to inspire and lift our spirits. I will continue along a theme that speaks to people’s hearts and touches them in ways that are healing and helpful in developing an understanding of our interconnectedness".

-Appalachian Intergenerational Exhibition- Boone, NC, USA
(Three generations of Appalachian weavers: Nellie Carlton, Ruth South and Toni Carlton)
-Feature Story in Meridian Magazine "High Art" Carrying on the family tradition
-Feature Story in High Country Magazine, NC, USA
-Featured in NC "Women’s Work: Carrying the Culture"
-Owner of Carlton Gallery: fine art and contemporary art gallery for 25 years
-Recent International Exhibits in Soule, Korea, Beijing, China and Geneva, Switzerland
-Peace by Piece mixed media canvas featured in "The Shift" Noetic Science Magazine, CA, USA
-Love of dogs, horses, dancing, hiking, meditating and gardening

Artist statement:
"I am committed to co-creating heartfelt expressions of life’s journey. My work is a series of mixed media collages and surface manipulation. I incorporate metaphors from my personal life experiences, my love of dance, and photographic images I have taken during travels along with multicultural collections to represent our universal connection to all our relations. Many of my pieces represent deeper levels of feminine awakening by encoding multiple layers of images that trigger memories of ancient and present wisdom. In some of my recent compositions, the combination of calligraphic and Asian symbols, ancient text and sacred sites help create a deeper level of resonance. Through many layers of collage, painting and transfer images, I am revisiting my spiritual journey as an artist using creative expressions. My hope is that my original creations open our hearts and touch our souls to inspire and lift our spirits. I will continue along a theme that speaks to people’s hearts and touches them in ways that are healing and helpful in developing an understanding of our interconnectedness."

In 2006 Toni Carlton began a project is called "Peace by Piece" a collaborative art piece by many artists, friends and community members to promote world peace. Artists as well as the general public were invited to contribute energy, talent and resources to help with the project. Non-profit organizations with world peace as one of their goal continue to profit from the prints of the auctioned mixed media art piece. It’s a project that is close to Toni’s heart and one she believes can really make a difference. Check News and Events for more information and to view a slide show of the progress of "Peace by Piece".