Martha's Paintings

The Dance

2011-12-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

This abstract painting was inspired by the beautiful coat patterns on my beloved feral cat Socks. His coat is gray and black and the idea was to make a rug with orange and red in it to replace the one that Socks has shredded. Hoping that since he inspired this rug, he wouldn't destroy it. It morphed because as I was working on this painting, I discovered what it means in yoga that when the mind is totally calm and you have let go of everything, how flexible the body becomes.

A Violet Black Phase Timber Wolf

2011-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

This is my interpretation of Jaeger, a Black Phase Timber Wolf in residence at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, New Mexico. The pure violet color symbolizes perfect clarity. The wolf is perfectly clear who he is, but the former owners were anything but clear as to what they had when they took home a wolf as a pet. It is unfortunately why there is a need for a wolf sanctuary and 10 percent of all of my wolf painting sales go to support the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

Raven #1

2011-10-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is my first of what will probably be many raven paintings. These birds have always been around me in New Mexico and in California. The moment my father died, a Raven flew into the tree outside his bedroom and he suddenly was able to breathe a very clear and happy breath and then immediately died. I thought the bird was able to finally make him relax, it was a beautiful but painful moment in my life and one I am not likely to forget. These Ravens that inspired this painting were in San Juan Capistrano, where I had planned on photographing swallows. However, there were no swallows--only ravens so I was happy to have my camera and be able to get close enough to get some interesting photos.

Socks the Mighty Hunter

2011-09-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is my cat Socks, and he is quite the hunter. I think sometimes the creatures that he eats are almost as big as he is. I try not to interfere with his natural tendencies even though on some level it is disturbing.

Bolt, An American Bulldog

2011-08-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a long summer. After I returned from my Santa Fe show, I realized that I was very allergic to the chemicals in oil paints and the fumes were not doing me any good in any way, shape or form so it was time to transition to watercolors. I felt this was so necessary on many levels and I am happy I made the transition. It took me all summer and painting every day to get satisfied with the medium. It was very different, but I feel that I am getting the dreamy feeling that I wanted to bring to my paintings.

For me, when inspiration is a challenge, I feel it is best to go back to my roots and paint my own animals. This is Bolt, our 18-month American Bulldog. He is a very sweet but very strong creature and our fifth American Bulldog. Unfortunately for us, he is also the smartest dog that we have owned. He is also playful and loves his Kong toy so I thought I would show him with that. He guards it constantly and enjoys a game of tug of war with the humans rather than chasing it and retrieving it like our Labrador Zip does.

Sale and Pepper--Two French Bulldogs

2011-06-05T14:04:00.001-07:00

This is a painting of two French Bulldogs that were quite humorous. The darker one Rose, was sent from San Francisco to be bred in Los Angeles and then she was off somewhere else to have her puppies. She is quite cute and her mother was having to carry her up and down the stairs because they didn't want anything to happen to the puppies. I believe she was carrying two. Anyway this is one of three paintings that I will have hanging in New York next month at Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in Chelsea. So if you are in New York July 14th, it should be an interesting opening.

A Powerful Mother

2011-04-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

This Elephant Mother and her Calf were ones I met at the Elephant Safari Lodge in Bali. In the Spirit of Mother's Day, I thought I would show this piece. While the mother was amazingly friendly and let you get near her calf and even feed the calf and play with it. I am sure, like any good mother, if anyone meant her calf harm there could be a whole different outcome. Unfortunately it is not dry enough for my show in New Mexico, I plan to show it in New York this summer.

Springtime at the Ranch

2011-04-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

This painting is one of several new works of paintings of cows of various types that I am doing for my May show at Adieb Khadoure Fine Art in Santa Fe on May 6th and goes through May 21. Actually Dave and I are collaborating on a show entitled Animals and Nature in Abstraction. I am doing paintings of animals that I admire for their ability to survive on the land without a lot of help from human intervention as well as animals that survive in challenging interactions with humans.

I have always been attracted to longhorn cattle because they remind me of the romance of the American West and seem to be more of just pure cow before we intervened with breeding for things like no horns, low fat meat, high yield per pound of feed and other designer beef cattle traits. I just like nature in its more pure form and hope that more people choose to keep this kind of cow going.

Brindle's Rally

2011-03-17T16:38:00.001-07:00

Rest in Peace Brindle Love. This is my beloved American Bulldog Brindle Love who is showing what she is made of at 13 years 8 months and 1 day just a couple of days before she died, which was yesterday, March 16, 2011. She had quite the rally Jumping on the bed waking me up, which she always did, but this time there was a lot of energy in the jump, and she wanted to go for a walk, so I got my camera going when we got back. She had stopped walking the previous week, but for the all of her life she had a daily walk in the morning and woke me up to start our day. Every day after the walk, she followed me into the studio (or did I follow her into her bedroom?) and snoozed patiently while I painted. Whenever I stepped away from the easel, she jumped out of bed and we would go outside or get something to eat. The night before she died, she laid down on the rug by my easel as if to say you had better paint me now if you want to do it, so I painted her to have something to remember her by and always hanging there urging me on.

Two New Elephants

2011-03-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know that I have done a lot of elephants lately, but they are just incredibly magnificent and these two just go together like the supreme example of a strong male looking out over his slowly shrinking territory with a sigh and also being satisfied with his now 100% positive interactions with humans. It wasn't always so as he was probably creating havoc with farmers in his native Sumatra, but he now resides in a pretty cool spot in Bali with lots of food and swimming in his filtered pond--life isn't all that bad. He seems to really love people too, which is amazing for such a huge creature.

And, Tia, the Female is also quite amazingingly gentle and sweet, gently taking the food out of your hands and kneeling down so that you can easily climb aboard.

These are both really large paintings 48" x 60" to convey the power and size of an elephant.

Closeup of My Favorite Elephant's Face

2011-02-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is absolutely my favorite elephant from the Elephant Safari Lodge in Bali. Many months have passed since we returned from this awesome place, but I still think about this elephant every day and wish that we could be there again soon. This elephant was the most patient, posing for all kinds of photographs all day long. He was the greatest, and will be the subject of many more paintings.

Bali Street Dogs

2011-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

This particular dog reminds me of my childhood dog but he was at the large temple in Ubud and he seemed to be in charge of the dogs at the temple where they appear to survive on offerings from the people that leave fruit and flower offerings to the gods at the temple. The Balinese revere dogs and believe that they will be accompanied to heaven by a dog.

This painting is the first in what I hope to be a series of Bali Street dogs to raise awareness of the plight of these dogs. Because of the rabies epidemic, the government is threatening to kill all of the dogs in Bali but the Bali Animal Welfare Association ( http://www.balibawa.com/ ) has stepped up to change that mindset. They are going street by street starting in the major tourist cities and vaccinating the dogs, providing spay and neuter services and other health care services to the dogs as well as street feeding. They are a great organization and need more money to be able to continue their work. So I am donating 30% of the proceeds of these Bali dog paintings and giclees to http://www.balibawa.com/ .

My Favorite Bull Elephant

2011-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is my second in the elephant series of the elephants that we encountered in Bali. We were lucky enough to tide this elephant and feed him several times. He loved being fed by hand and being hugged. He was just loveable and when I said goodbye to him before we left the resort, he had a tear running down his cheek and so did I. Unfortunately this stunning male is not the one that is breeding to the female elephants at the park. He didn't win the mating battle.

Elephants in Bali

2011-01-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

We recently went on our favorite trip ever--to see elephants all fo the time in Bali! I am planning on a large series of paintings based on these animals. This is the first painting I did based on that experience. There are three Sumatran elephants that were successfully bred and this painting is of the oldest baby and his mother. This baby is quite mischevious and grapped my leg on several occassions with his trunk. How many times would that ever happen in the US? He was quite gentle and sweet at heart but reminded me of when our American Bulldog puppies are teenagers--always testing their limits! This is a painting of the Baby walking with his morther towards their morning swim.

Zip Looks at Bolt

2010-07-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

This is a painting of Zip our now two-year old field trials bred sweetheart of a Labrador Retriever as he looks at Bolt our now six-month American Bulldog puppy tearing a path in his direction. Need I say more??? He is a wonderful dog and this is the first in a series of dogs in purple that I am doing.

Our American Bulldog Puppy Bolt

2010-07-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is our six-month old American Bulldog puppy named Bolt. He is quite a handful and our poor Lab doesn't know quite what to make of him! He's always running and exuberant. And, I have a feeling that he will appear in lots of artwork in the future.

The Happy Hereford

2010-07-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is a Hereford cow that I painted on the last day before it became part of someone's dinner. My father-in-law always has a herd of cows every year to eat down the grass and to use for his competition cutting practice. And they are always something to keep the dogs interested. They always crowd around their fences and study them. Thie herd was different. They always followed us every day down the driveway as we went on our walks and somehow looked more intelligent. So, before they left, I wanted to document them in some way and do a series. So this is the first in the series. I rarely eat beef now.

A Jack Russel with lots of attitude

2010-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is a Jack Russell who loves to charge my black lab and win!

Yoda, a Pug in a different pose

2010-02-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

This is Yoda a pug that is very pampered. She loves to walk on the beach and I thought her face was better suited to a square canvas.

Bear, Chow Mix?

2010-02-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is Bear, a chow mixed with a stranger in the night according to his owner who takes him all of the time for walks on the beach. This dog loves to give you a high five.

Benjy, A Collie

2010-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of Benjy, a retired show champion collie that loves the beach.

Ginger Pie

2010-01-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

This is Ginger Pie, a Jack Russell Terrier and Minature Dachtsund that is adored by her family.

Skip

2010-01-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of Skip, a rescue dog who loves to hang with his owner's on the beach.

Emma A Wheaton Terrier

2010-01-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is Emma, A Wheaton Terrier that is full of energy and is quite exhuberant. Her hair is in her eyes, but she has perfected the head shake and sees what she wants to see.

Yoda, A Pug

2010-01-13T13:40:00.001-08:00

This is Yoda, a Pug that is quite a friendly dog and loves her walks by the Ocean

Chico, A White German Shepherd and Chow?

2010-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is a dog named Chico that I found strolling on the beach with his owner. He was quite a sweet dog and endured lots of flash photos with no protests.

Belle, An Old English Sheepdog of a Certain Age

2009-12-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

I met this dog on the beach at dusk and she had just a wonderful temperament and sense of self. She still enjoys treats and doesn't let age bother her.

Pogo, A Chihuahua

2009-12-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

This is Pogo, a Chihuahua that lives up to his name, Pogo, like a pogo stick, He is constantly in motion jumping all around. I found him walking by Miramar by the ocean one day. His painting will also be there in March at my show at the Wine Bar in Princeton by the Sea

Clara Belle, A Cockapoo

2009-12-13T12:05:00.001-08:00

This is Clara Belle, a very sweet Cockapoo (I think) who was walking by Miramar Beach one day and was doing a dance on her hind legs. She was quite a delightful dog.

Summit, a Golden Retriever

2009-12-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

This is Summit, a young Golden Retriever who lives at the Half Moon Bay Coast and gets lots of walks near the ocean. This is the 3rd of my Coastal Dogs series that will be shown in March at the Wine Bar at Princeton by the Sea.

Chester, a painting of a Yorkie

2009-12-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

This is Chester, a painting of a Yorkshire Terrier that just visited his salon before our session. He is a very happy dog that lives in Half Moon Bay. This is my second painting of the Coastal Dogs to be shown in March at the Wine Bar in Princeton by the Sea.

Oil Painting of BNE, A Deer Chihuahua

2009-11-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

This is BNE a Deer Chihuahua, and the start of a series that I am doing of 12 coastal dogs for a March showing at the new Wine Bar that will be in El Grenada, CA at the Harbour Village

A Painting of Louie, a Rambunctious Quarter Horse

2009-11-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

This is Louie in his corral running around and having fun.

Zip, the Crazed Puppy

2009-11-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of Zip, our 18-month old Labrador Retriever, who was running and playing with one of his friends recently.

Brindle Love, the Imp

2009-11-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

This is my dog Brindle Love, who one day decided she would prevent me from leaving the house by jumping in my driver's seat and refusing to move. I had no choice but to start taking photos as I had been trying to get her grinning in a photo for months.

Louis, Louis

2009-11-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of a very small dog with a very large attitude. He makes coyotes fear for their lives, even though he weighs about 10 pounds. He entered his owner's life by walking straight into her front door on his own in Hawaii and refused to leave.

Brindle Love, Working Farm Dog Extraordinaire

2009-10-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday, even at 12 years old, Brindle Love loves to jump in the truck and feed the horses. Here she is doing just that.

Monty

2009-10-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Against the Storm

2009-10-26T15:11:00.001-07:00

This is Sophie, A Cane Corso

2009-10-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Murphy, A Scottish Terrier from Santa Fe

2009-10-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Jack - A Happy Labradoodle

2009-09-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Blarney - Ready to Ride

2009-09-30T21:08:00.001-07:00

The finished Brindle portrait

2009-09-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

An Underpainting of My Dog Brindle as a Puppy

2009-09-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

As my dog ages, I find myself drawn to painting her more and some like my underpaintings better than the finished product, so I am starting to photograph the underpaintings now too.

Blarney

2009-09-19T13:15:00.001-07:00

This is an 18" x 36" oil painting of a Quarter Horse Blarney

Brindle After a Long Walk

2009-09-19T13:13:00.001-07:00

This is a 30" x 30" oil painting of my 12-year old American Bulldog Brindle after a long walk.

A Pit Bull named Mercedes

2009-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

My Cat Socks

2009-08-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

All of my paintings are oil on canvas. This one is 24" x 30"

My Cat Kemo Sabe

2009-08-25T16:33:00.001-07:00

Our Lab named Zip

2009-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24" x 30"

Several Recent Animal Paintings

2009-07-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

I prefer animal images to all other. The initial photograph creates the feeling about my painting, whether it be contemplation, fun or some other emotion. Color helps me express the mood. I try to capture the animal's aura and personality with the composition, the pose and the way I apply the paint to the canvas. I feel a painting is done when I am happy with the color, texture and look on an animal's face--especially the eyes and surrounding area. Cats always take themselves very seriously. Dogs are my favorite because you never know what you are going to get and horses are more interesting when you can capture them in motion. Wild animals also intrigue me and I try to bring that little bit of wild animal feeling into the domestic animals that I paint. I also try to capture an animal in its own environment where it is more likely to be comfortable and be its true self.