NEW HOME

Midnight Dreaming
mixed media/panel
36" x 36"
2017 ©

I am excited to share that Powers Gallery of Acton, MA has found a new home for my painting Midnight Dreaming, mixed media on panel, 36" x 36".  I just delivered the work in the beginning of October so this sale is a delightful surprise.  Thank you Powers Gallery!

In the spring they sold Solstice another one of my large panels also a black and white with hints of color buried beneath (See blog post on 2/9/17) .  Both are part of a series of 12 paintings I started in January 2016.  Three more are now finished with two being delivered to the gallery on the same day as Midnight Dreaming.

The Edge of Possibility
mixed media/panel
36" x 36"
2017 ©

Leaving the Path
mixed media/panel
36" x 36"
2017 ©

NEAR & FAR

Rocks at Low Tide
oil/panel
8" x 8"

Along with the Grey Matter exhibit (please see previous post)  I am pleased to announce my landscape paintings are on view at Law and Water Gallery in Gloucester, MA, this August.  This 2 person show titled Near & Far is "an exhibit of color, shape, and texture with fiber artist K. Velis Turan and visual artist Martha Wakefield."

Please join us Saturday, August 5th from 5-7 PM for a reception at 18A Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA.

Somerville
K. Vellis Turan
mixed media fiber art

Twenty plus paintings will be exhibited from my plein air adventures capturing the coastlines from Gloucester, MA to Stonington, ME, along with many colorful works from Turan.

Turan's work uncovers the shapes, lines, and colors that define our urban landscapes. She renders steel, stone, concrete, and glass into forceful elements. She is inspired by the architecture and energy of bridges, roads and city skylines.


This show is a visual feast put together by owner Ken Riaf.  He skillfully pairs Turan's mixed media urban landscapes with my wild and rugged seascapes. So do stop in and see this show on view through August into fall.  The gallery is open Saturday & Sunday from 12 - 6 PM or by appointment.  

GREY MATTER

Boy on a Hydrant, NYC
 Michael Seif

I am pleased to present Grey Matter: a curated exhibit, which explores the grey scale through print, paint, sculpture and photography by 9 contemporary artists opening Thursday, August 10th at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck.  The Cultural Center is located at 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA. Gallery hours are Thursdays through Sundays 12-6 PM.

This exhibit offers a place to dwell, quieting the drama of color barriers to essential messages, explored through the diversity of singular voices. Words of color are part of our everyday language. Political states are described as colors. Today’s consumers associate national brands by their branding color: red stands for Coca Cola and Target; orange for Home Depot; green equals Starbucks; brown for UPS; and blue for Facebook and Twitter. We can be oversaturated by visual color messages and creative messages often get buried in our Technicolor world.

In curating this show I am joined by eight artists who believe that a lack of color does not mean the absence of visual excitement.  Grey Matter highlights meaning through light, texture, form and imagery. The work of these local and regional artists covers a wide range of disciplines including painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and photography.  This exhibit celebrates the differences and boldness and the expressive intentions of each artist working within a limited palette.  Featured artists include Coco Berkman, Christiane Corcelle, Linda Packard, Judy Robinson-Cox, Michael Seif, Pip Shepley, Ruth Worrall, Wendy Young & Martha Wakefield.  Please join us at the artists' reception on Saturday, August 12 at 4-6 PM. Light refreshments and beverages will be served.

Works by these artists are divided up and paired with novel partners—encouraging a freeform yet cerebral exploration of the show’s theme. Though each artist’s work is very different, this group shares an essential connection in how they approach process and design. The exhibit illuminates not just the work, but also the reasons these artists make what they make. Each medium possesses unique qualities and by juxtaposing this diversity, Grey Matter, offers visual abundance and engages community conversations. The public is invited to join the conversation at two lively, illuminating and free events—a Photo Forum Artists’ Talk, on Sunday, August 20, 4-6 PM & the Paint and Print Artists’ Talk, on Sunday, August 27, 4-6 PM.

GREY MATTER: Exploring the grey scale through print, paint, sculpture and photography.

August 10 – September 10

Cultural Center Gallery, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA

Artists’ Reception, Saturday, August 12, 4-6 PM

Photo Forum Artists’ Talk, Sunday, August 20, 4-6 PM

Paint and Print Artists’ Talk, Sunday, August 27, 4-6 PM

JON IMBER

Jon Imber was my mentor and friend.  Several years ago I met Jon at a workshop he was teaching  through the Concord Art Association.  He invited me to come to Stonington, Maine, that summer and join his workshop of hand-picked students.  That week introduced me to a talented group of artists and now friends.  Since his untimely passing in 2014 due to ALS we all gather each summer in Stonington for a week of painting, sharing our work and honoring Jon. He had a huge influence on all of us.  And we all miss him.

Jon giving us a demo 2013

This year his longtime student and dear friend John Arens has organized an exhibit of our paintings at the RiverSea Gallery in Dover, NH. This will be a first for us to show together.  Jon had wanted to have such an exhibit of his Stonington artists.  

The exhibit will run from April 22nd - June 10th, 2017.  The gallery is at Washington Street Mills, 1 Washington Street, Dover, NH 03820.  On Saturday, May 6th from 6-9 PM the artists will be present. Come join us - we are a lively group and each of us has a unique vision of Stonington and painting in general that Jon helped us see more clearly.  

Jon's demo painting July 2013

GOOD NEWS

I returned home last night after teaching a two day painting workshop at the Rockport Art Association. After a very inspiring weekend working with a very talented group of artists I received more good news. Awaiting me was an envelope and check from Powers Gallery in Acton, MA., alerting  me to the sale of this diptych on paper.  Two full sheets of 300 lb cold press paper.

This painting is titled Meeting You Halfway.  It is mixed media consisting of acrylic, India ink, & graphite & measures 30" x 44".  I am so honored to have this work invited to a new home.  And grateful for Powers Gallery for finding the right one.  Thank you!

COLOR

Fragments of March: Chance of Snow
mixed media/paper 22" x 30"

My studio warm ups progressed from inexpensive drawing paper to full sheets of 300 lb cold press paper.  On this heavier weight paper I played with making marks in India ink, graphite, charcoal, crayon and acrylic - all in the rich dark color of black.  The titles bear witness to this transitional month hovering in winter daring not to cross over to spring.

Fragments of March: Cloudy
mixed media/paper 22" x 30"

I worked on the floor - a welcome change from standing at the easel.  The paper gets rotated several times as I paint so there is no standard orientation.  

Fragments of March: Showers
mixed media/paper 22" x 30"

As of Saturday these four are now at Powers Gallery in Acton, MA.  

Fragments of March: Storm Warnings
mixed media/paper 22" x 30"

They compliment my large panels with this one waiting patiently on the easel.  

acrylic/panel 36" x 36"

WARM UPS

Somedays when I first arrive at my studio I "warm up" by doing painting exercises.  Other days I immediately know what I want to do to my painting as soon I enter my space.  This past Sunday my warm ups consisted on playing with Indian Ink, water-soluble graphite and black acrylic paint on inexpensive paper.  I did this exercise before focusing on my paintings.

My goal was to play, make marks using the tools list above and start on another sheet of paper then another.  Not judging, just playing.  Then I put all these sketches aside.  

I have been watching the Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design.  A few of the episodes resonated with me by the talented, generous,  down-to-earth artists featured.  In one episode the graphic designer Paula Scher said, "If you are not in a state of play you can't make anything."  So true!

So Tuesday, back at the studio I got to a point where I was stalled with my painting so I decided to do more warm-ups in this series of scribbles with ink, graphite and paint.  But first I reviewed the pages from Sunday.  Eureka!  I discovered my sketches, the scribbles and doodles was the key thing missing from my work.  I was getting to literal with my painting.  

So I played on a few more sheets of paper loosening up and left the studio in a better place.  Sometimes warm ups work just as well at the end of your studio day.  Playing works all day. 

DEMO @ WATERTOWN ARTS

On Saturday,  February 4th,  I gave an artist talk and demo for the Watertown Art Association.  This is a lively art association and one of the oldest in the country.  I am one of four presenters in their series Elemental Forces: Earth, Air, Fire & Water funded by the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.   These demos are free and open to the public.   The next demo features encaustic artist Tracy Spadafora on March 4th @ 2PM.  

12x12 value sketch

It takes a bit of planning on my part as I am not entirely comfortable painting in front of an audience.  The week prior my husband and I walked the Minuteman Trail in Concord, MA.  There I took a photo of a large house just off the trail.  From the photo I did some rough sketches, a value study then a painting sketch.  

12x12 painting sketch

My goal was to play with the earth shades: yellow ochre, burnt sienna & umber and raw sienna & umber,  so I planned out my palette first.   These are colors I seldom use yet they are so rich in mass tones and are the colors of a snowless New England landscape.  

I found pre-planning my palette a worthwhile exercise.   After doing the above warm-ups the composition proved to be a tad boring so I returned to sketching.  The house in Concord was the inspiration but the beauty of being an artist is being able to rearrange the landscape. 

At the demo I blocked out the big shapes sky vs house & land using ultramarine blue and hansa yellow light.  I worked on an 18" x 18" birch panel prepped w/ a few layers of gesso.  

I use a lot of medium so there is a bit of glare on these images.  Once I got the paint on the panel my nervousness dwindled.  The audience asked great questions and were quite engaged in the process.  I wore a mike and after a few technical difficulties that turned out to be a plus.  Thank you Jodie Wigren for that tip. 

My mother-in-law also attended and she gave me a very helpful helpful tip.  "Repeat each question so everyone attending can hear. " Thank you Mary Waters!  

As you can see from these images the painting went through many transitions.  

I continued to simplify the composition from the sketch by removing the trees and reduced it to the essential elements of the house on a hill.  A finished painting for now and a fun adventure spending time pushing paint and engaging with other artists on a Saturday afternoon.  Many thanks to Jodie Wigren, Dawn Evans Scaltreto and President Donna Gaspar

RECENT WORK NEW HOME

Solstice
36" x 36"
mixed media/panel

Yesterday  I received the wonderful news that Solstice, a recent painting finished just this past December, has found a new home.  This is 36" x 36" birch panel and part of a series I have been working on since last January 2016.  I have 12 panels in various states. In a few days I will post the evolution of this painting.  One can work on a painting for weeks then suddenly it all comes together.  The mystery and magic of pushing paint amazes me.

Many thanks to Powers Gallery for sending this painting to a new home!

DEMO @ WATERTOWN ARTS

Heartbeat
oil/panel
8" x 8"

I will be giving an artist talk and a painting demo this Saturday at the Watertown Art Association.  This is part of their ongoing series titled Elemental Forces and my work will represent the Earth element.  Below is a description of this free and open-to-the-public event. 

Special thanks to artists Jodie Wigren and Dawn Evan Scaltreto for this kind invitation to share my painting process and to Watertown Cultural Council for supporting this series. 

Martha Wakefield presents Abstracting Nature

Saturday, February  4, 2017, 2—4 pm
The Innovation Space, Arsenal Project Mall, Old Navy Entrance,
485 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA

This month’s Watertown Art Association’s “Elemental Forces” series funded by Watertown Cultural Council will feature the element, “Earth” and artist/teacher, Martha Wakefield. Painting in oils on panels she will share her tools, techniques and playful approach to enjoying the plein air experience.  As a popular art teacher Wakefield will also describe her approach to elements of the graphic language in creating an unique expressive voice.  To see more of her work visit her website at marthawakefield.com   Pictured above, Drifting Echoes © Martha Wakefield 2017, oil on panel

Watertown Art Association’s demonstrator series are free and open to the public.  Their program,  Elemental Forces: Earth Air, Fire, Water,  is funded by the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Hope to see you there!