About Martha

“A palimpsest is something that has been written, painted, or created on more than once, with traces of the earlier layers still visible underneath.” Originally, the word referred to old manuscripts where scribes scraped off the original writing and wrote new text on top — but the old writing often still faintly showed through.

My work has a history of layers of paint, writing, textures and faded patterns of collage showing through; all coexisting. Current work experiments with layering my own photos of textures and colors using digital methods to make limited edition prints. My practice connects past and present images, marks, and personal history.

My inspiration comes from my favorite cities Washington, DC and Paris. From my favorite museums The Phillips Collection, The Barnes Foundation Centre Pompidou, MOMA, the Stedelijk Museum, I could go on. A few of my favorite artists are Klee, Rothko, Pierre Bonnard, Joan Mitchel, Cy Twombly, Simone Leigh, Flora Yukhnovich, I could go on. My favorite shops are consignment. Today my favorite color is Light Olive Green. Studio cats are my favorites. Favorite cookies are David’s Butter Pecan Meltaways from Costco. Favorite job is working as an Artist. I love Sennelier oil pastels - #086 Vert Anglais Clair and #017 Gris Violet. Love my 10 year old magenta Kenneth Cole oxfords (see below). Always open to new ideas and new “favorites”.

Lastly, my favorite quote explains my philosophy: “Art is never finished … it simply stops in interesting places.” Paul Gardner