For many years my work has been focused primarily on the beauty of flowers. Earlier work was in a more realistic vein, inspired by the works of Georgia O’Keefe and others, while in recent years that has morphed into a more interpretive, semi-abstract direction, inspired by world-renowned watercolorist John Salminen.
The flowers in my gardens are the starting point for most of my paintings. Photos are taken, drawings are done and paintings emerge. There is enjoyment in every step along the way. My hope is that viewers will enjoy exploring the paintings just as I enjoy creating them. Both the process and the finished images maintain the subject throughout the year, helping me to endure and survive the long, gray Central New York winters. I hope I capture the spirit of the subjects as well as their appearance.
I work primarily in transparent watercolor on different weights and surfaces of Arches watercolor paper, my favorite among several good brands. Like many artists, I am a collector of brushes and paints. There always seem to be a few new ones I want to try, just as there are always “paintings-to-be” beckoning my brush.
I hope you enjoy the show, the dance of colors, lines, movements, the visual playground of each piece. Perhaps the next time you stroll through a beautiful garden of flowers, you will see it a bit differently, enjoy it a bit more deeply. The task of the artist is just that, of course, to paint an ordinary subject in an extraordinary way, to give the viewer a new way to see a familiar subject. Have I succeeded? The viewer will be the judge. - Martha Deming
About Martha Deming
