MHCC Fireplace Gallery Presents "Super Ply and Friends"
Barbara Martin Mt. Hood Community College’s newest Fireplace Gallery exhibit, titled "Super Ply and Friends," includes mixed-media paintings created by Hillsboro-based Barbara Martin. Martin is a member of the Oregon Society of Artists and her work has been featured in galleries, shows and
museums around the United States and in Norway. She describes her style as "contemporary" and leaning towards "the abstract, and sometimes surreal." Each painting of hers explores a new place and emotion, and her subjects range from "the serenity
of a landscape...to the horror of a nightmare."
For her exhibit "Super Ply and Friends," she submitted the following statement:
"Art is an adventure. Each painting is a new exploration of place and emotion. As my fingers smear the paint I sense the character and mood of a piece, and its context develops organically to reveal its particular place-moment in time. My subjects range
from the serenity of a landscape … to the horror of a nightmare."
"Don't Be the Bunny" "I typically begin with automatic painting, using my fingers and palms to manipulate the paint into textured layers containing swirls and patches of color as well as creating unique marks. I continue by both adding and removing paint using a variety of
tools. I cover, obscure and re-cover the surface as I work through a dialogue with the piece, intuitively applying paint and glazes, veiling or scratching away, perhaps detailing with a touch of pencil or oil pastel as the painting nears completion.
I most often work in acrylic and prefer painting on plywood because I enjoy the feel of the woodgrain beneath my fingers. My favorite tools are my fingers and angled flat brushes."
"Aim High" "Alone in the studio, I work in silence while I listen to each painting. My fingers push and pull at the very threads of story and timeless existence...until imagery, color and texture gradually develop into a narrative. As the subject reveals itself,
I am able to settle into the mind-space for the piece and its specific focus becomes clear. Each image holds its own personality and context and inevitably reflects a feeling or situation I have witnessed or experienced -- perhaps empathically or
in a dream or in my daily life. I do my best to tell the truth as it presents itself to me in that moment."
"I am descended from a long line of herbalists and storytellers so perhaps it is not so surprising that many primordial (and sometimes surreal) connections flow naturally to me. I am just a conduit."
"Super Ply and Friends" will be up until Nov. 29. You can learn more about Martin by visiting barbaramartinart.com