Martha Kelly Art blog - MARTHA KELLY ART

Published on: May 12, 2015

Chance Meeting

I was in St. Louis last week to attend a luncheon at Tower Grove Park. The photographer shooting the event was Charlie Barnes. Artists are often drawn to talk to each other, and I was sketching at the event because I didn't know anyone, so we ended up talking. He saw me changed and heading out to paint at the end of the luncheon -- I try never to waste an opportunity to paint in Tower Grove -- and Charlie asked if he could shoot some photos of me painting. I was delighted because you can always use a lovely professional photo of what you do professionally, and I was also enjoying talking shop to him about making a living somewhat outside the normal system.

I had spotted a gorgeous copper beech I'd never noticed before on my walk that morning (the park is so rich in beautiful trees), and it was calling my name, so we headed there. It turned out to be a perfect choice.

I'm amazed at Charlie's eye and portrait skills. That top photo especially is perfect to me. Somehow, on just thirty minutes' acquaintance, he managed to capture the magic I feel in what I do and how I see the world around me and the connection I feel with trees. (Dad calls me the Ent Wife.) I don't know how Charlie did that, but I'm deeply grateful to have this record of the joy I feel in my work.

Published on: May 8, 2015

St. Louis

I'm going to be a little scared to get on the scales in the morning. I began and ended my three day trip at Ted Drewes, and I might even have gone on the middle day as well....

I'm behind on my blog, so I'm going to work backwards because this is an easy post to get up tonight before falling into bed. My last night there was lovely. Frozen custard, of course, because I have to make the most of being in town with it (see the above paragraph), and then I went to a coffee shop called the Stone Spiral to hear some music. I only have a couple of facebook friends that are friends of friends whom I haven't met in person, but I've enjoyed greatly knowing Mike Holdinghaus that way. He's another musician and artist and has great reflections on life. I was delighted to get his invitation to come out and hear some songs and finally meet him and his wife Linda in person, along with a number of their talented friends. A couple of dancers I already knew came through as well, so it was an unexpectedly social evening. My original plan had been to paint till the light failed and then fall into bed after a Target/Ted Drewes run. This was much more fun, and I got to sketch musicians in the bargain, which I always love to do.

Mike not only plays great but has the niftiest mandolin I've ever seen. A metal one with a resonator top. I'd only seen guitars like that before.

I'll get the rest of the work scanned in and work backwards through my trip over the next couple of days. Off to cuddle my dog a little and go to bed. Long day.

Published on: April 25, 2015

New York City

I'm in New York visiting one sister and celebrating a birthday with another. We're mostly here to see theater, but I'm doing a bit of sketching as well, of course.

Above is my taxi ride from La Guardia, and below is the view from the diner where we had lunch. I was so happy we snagged a booth in the window.

We went to see Helen Mirren in The Audience last night. I was so excited to see her on the stage.

Published on: April 12, 2015

Recent Prints

I spent a rocking Saturday night at Kinko's last night, using their over-sized scanner to scan in some of my recent prints for my upcoming Dixon show. They want some images to use in their newsletter. It's getting real! The curator is coming out to see what I've got so far early next month. There's some pressure there, but I really love creating a show for a specific space and making work that will hang together thematically and visually. When I'm doing it for an actual museum show, that's just amazing.

So here are a few that are finished and ready. I have several more I'm still getting final prints of but that are mostly or fully carved. Above is Rainbow Lake at Overton Park.

Below are two images from Country Workshops, the wood working school I house sit for occasionally and visit friends at in between times. It's one of the wellsprings of my work over the last dozen years.

This last one is a tree from one of my sketchbooks. I only had a line drawing of it, but it was enough to make a print from, and I couldn't resist the shape of this beauty. It's also my first print on black paper, and I like the effect that gives. I'm going to keep my eyes open for more subjects that might be suitable to try on black.

Published on: April 6, 2015

GPAC Art Opening of Paris work

My show at Germantown Performing Arts Center this month has its opening reception on Friday night from 5:30 to 7:00. The show is new watercolors from Paris, done on my last trip there, so come have a mental vacation and a glass of wine if you're free. It's open to the public, so bring any friends you think would enjoy it.

Above is the Place des Voges. All watercolors are 7x9" and $135, except one larger one. Come see!

Published on: February 8, 2015

Urban Sketching at the Flea Market

The Memphis Urban Sketchers met at the Cleveland Street Flea Market on Saturday. It's a funny little indoor flea market, right in my neighborhood, that has its own community inside. There are not only booths with regulars manning (or, more often, womaning) them, but a cafe and a barber shop tucked in the back also. One of our urban sketchers works there part-time and made us very welcome, with drinks and snacks laid on. It's an almost overwhelming place visually. I did all three sketches from one chair, near a window, instead of wandering around too much and having too many options.

I was playing with minimal color choices that morning. I liked my sketch above with just the sky colored in. (Watercolor and a Stabilo grey fine liner.) My second one I tried to pick out mostly the blue and yellow in the hat display, but I wasn't happy with the watercolor splashes in that one.

I switched over to Faber Castell markers, also with a Stabilo fine liner, for the last sketch. I've had better luck with them in the streamlined color sketches. Also I've been working a lot in watercolor lately, and I find I lose my touch with the markers if I don't use them regularly. This seemed like a good opportunity to play with them again.

Both this sketch and the scene itself reminded me of a brocante (French for antique/flea market) I sketched in my neighborhood in Paris, so I scanned it in for comparison. It was one of the sketches from that trip I was really happy with.

Published on: January 7, 2015

Print progress

The forest print stalled out a bit while I came down with the family epizudiac and did sit down work instead. But today I couldn't stand the suspense of what it will look like, so I did the standing up work of pulling the second block in the four proofs I have going (color tests on different papers). The second block is three colors, with three rollers to blend the colors on the block. My printmaking is getting more complex as I go along, but multiple colors also helps me keep the number of blocks needed at a minimum. This print will be three blocks total, which means three printings, instead of five or six if I did one for each color.

I started another print while I was doing sit down work. I flipped back through my travel sketchbooks from the year. I'd halfway forgotten about this moonrise watercolor from my September stay at Country Workshops. I thought at the time it would make a good print, but then I got distracted by further travels and shows. So it was good to get a start on this one as well. It will be two blocks, with grey cloud cover underneath this main one.

Published on: December 18, 2014

Cape May Gingerbread

I sat outside today and painted the Red Cottage, my favorite of the Victorian cottages owned by Cape Resorts. It's got a lovely tower you can't see in my close up. Over three years of painting here, I've become much faster at painting architectural gingerbread.

Here's my set up. At 39 degrees, I figured none of the guests would be fighting me for a porch chair...

All the architectural gingerbread made me crave the real thing, so I warmed up afterwards with tea and a cookie.

Published on: October 30, 2014

Cloudy Day

I'd been looking through the window at the neighborhood cheese shop as I walked past, wanting to draw it. The other day was cloudy, and it didn't need a lot of sunlight to sketch, so I stood outside on the sidewalk and drew standing up. I'm still learning how to do that efficiently and well, but a jacket pocket of just the markers I needed helped.

It's a busy scene, and I'm not sure it worked great, but I had to try.

Then I headed for one of the indoor covered Victoria passages, hoping it would be warmer than outside. It wasn't, but I still had fun sketching in there.

Then on the way home I ran into a group called Jingle Django, playing Django Reinhardt style jazz. They also danced around while they played, which made them tricky to sketch, but I had to try. I also got their cd. Really good music and a nice end to the day.

Published on: October 29, 2014

Weekend Delights

I got behind again posting photos because of the time change. I kept getting home after dark and not being able to take a decent snapshot of my sketches. I'm also looking forward to the scanner at home, but this is as good as it gets on the road, and it's fun to post while it's all fresh.

I had a great Saturday. Rene Miller played with Dede Macchabee at the Marche d'Aligre. It's a neat old street market. Half food and half brocante, or flea market. I scored a table just behind them at the cafe and painted while drinking mint tea, made with real mint. One of the lovely treats here in Paris.

My cousin Jonathon Gilmer, currently at university in London and over for the weekend, came to the market to join me and listen. Afterwards we walked through the center, had falafel at one of the walk up stands in the Marais, and ended with hot chocolate from Angelina's, one of my favorite treats here.

Sunday I went to St. Sulpice. It's the church where Faure and Widor both played and composed for the marvelous organ. They usually have a half hour organ concert open to all between masses, but there was an extra long service going that morning, so I had to content myself with sketching the lions in the fountain outside instead.

Here's how the page looks together. I kind of like the effect, even though they're facing different directions. It's been fun to play with the sketchbook and see what works and what doesn't.

I did a sketch walking home in my neighborhood. This is Stabilo pens with water wash, markers on top, and watercolor in the sky. Probably my most mixed media attempt. I'm going to have to try more of these.

Martha Kelly is an artist, printmaker, and illustrator who lives and works in Memphis, Tennessee.

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