.png)
The moment I got to spend time with Martha Marshall, I felt what her art signals - fascination with life. We spoke of politics. transitions, and about the power of art. Garden Spices welcomes the artistic dimensions of Martha Marshall. Gate open - Victorine
Artist’s Statement
My paintings are often nonobjective, but always encompass aspects of atmosphere, moods, or places. Nature is a beginning point for my primary fascination with the seemingly magical interactions of colors achieved by multiple layers of paint. I begin with large, bold strokes, and then continue to refine and build upon preceding layers of color, working toward a surface that both reveals and conceals what came before. My paintings are meant to be experienced more than analyzed. A successful painting invites the viewer to slow down, be fully present in the moment, and to remain there for a little while.
Biography
Martha Marshall grew up in north Alabama. From the time she was a small child, Martha’s mother, Jewell Miller Brooks, a landscape and still life painter and teacher, nurtured the love of painting in both her daughters. As often as possible, the three spent their days outdoors, painting and sketching the open stretches of the rural Southern landscape. The colorful and atmospheric abstract paintings Martha is known for today are strongly linked to those early experiences.
Collectors have long been captivated by the energy in Martha’s vibrant abstracts while embracing the diverse and free spirited nature of their creator. Influenced by color field and lyrical abstract painting, her moody but shimmering canvases are inner landscapes, rooted in memory and imbued with spirit. They begin intuitively, and are slowly built, layer upon layer, in the same way that memories and emotions accumulate, both concealing and revealing. Each painting's intimate history becomes entwined with the artist’s collection of memories and emotions.
After spending several years in a successful marketing career, Martha now paints and teaches art from her studio in Killen, Alabama. Her work has been featured in numerous gallery shows from Washington DC to southern most tip of Florida, and is collected all over the world. Martha’s works can be found in many major collections, both private and corporate, throughout the United States.
Comments