Born and raised in Scottish / Irish Ontario farm country, Walton‘s early education was heavily influenced by music, drawing, painting, and dance. In 1974-76, she attended the Craft and Design program in Brockville, Ontario, studying under Katharine Ylitalo and Richard Gill.
In 1977, Walton moved her studies to Alberta College of Art and Design (Calgary, Alberta), graduating in 1979 in Textile Arts, under Katharine Dickerson, Jane Kidd, Wendy Toogood, and Alexandra Haeseker
Accepting a position as Animateur of Arts and Culture in a northern Cree community, through the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils, she organized and taught community classes; operated a community exhibition space; and directed the development of local seasonal art festivals and events.
During this period, Walton attended the Emma Lake Art school, studying under Ann-Newdigate Mills, as well as, receiving the Prince Albert Winter Festival Prix d’excellence; a provincial tour of her work, hosted by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils in 1984; and a Saskatchewan Arts Board travel grant enabling her to attend an international Montreal textile conference featuring fibre giants Marcel Marois and Micheline Beauchemin. In 1987 Walton attended the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts to study under artists George Glenn, David Alexander, and Greg Curnoe. As a result, the production of a sculpture series gained funding through a Saskatchewan Arts Board grant, and was exhibited in 1988 at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery in Saskatoon.
Shirting her practice to Montreal, Walton attended classes at the l’Institut Simone de Beauvoir, and Centre des Arts Visuels. In 2002, she studied abstraction under the private tutelage of Montreal artist Marie-Claude Bouthillier, following which, Walton gained representation with Gallery David Astrof Fine Arts in Montreal. In 2004-05 Walton was one of the founding members of Sauvons L’usine, a cooperative created to save Montreal’s GROVER building (housing studios for over 300 artists), from being sold for condominium transformation.
In 2007 Walton attended l’École d’été Internationale de Percé (University of Laval), studying under Alexandre David.
In 2009 Walton became one of the founding members of La virée des ateliers, Montreal’s present-day 4-day open-studio gala, featuring over 100 artist, crafts people and fashion designers.
In 2014 – 16, Walton’s glass sculptures were represented by Galerie Nuedge of Montreal, and in 2017, Walton received a Canada Council Research and Creation grant.
Walton‘s works can be found in both private and public collections in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, USA, France and Switzerland