July Artist Spotlight
Meet Martha Marson
Born and raised in RI, a beautiful state (“the Ocean state”), I spent many days on the water with my father, and later my step father, both passionate sailors. The open water and sky, along with every summer spent up island on Martha’s Vineyard, gave me my love for water, sand, dunes and boats. This is the primary reason why my work centers on these elements. My happy place has always been the Vineyard; and the places that ground me and reach my soul are being on a boat in the open ocean; and on the beach with majestic dunes. Most of my paintings are of the Vineyard, since it brings me such a sense of peace and beauty, and connectedness of childhood memories with family and friends, though Ive been known to also paint winding forest paths as well as open fields! My artistic side comes from several members of my family, and my daughter (I have two daughters) went to art school and now has a successful career in graphic design. While it was always fun to dabble in different mediums along this journey, like watercolor, ceramics, drawing and clay, I went to University of Vermont and majored in psychology and writing. After many years in advertising as a copywriter and then in publishing, I jumped into grad school and received my MSW from Boston University. It wasn’t until many years later, when my kids were much older, that I was invited into a workshop by a close friend and artist that I started in pastel painting. I believe it was the medium that chose me. Just felt right! (I also believe every single human has an expressive outlet waiting to emerge) I’ve been working in pastel studying under my fabulous teacher for over 15 years, and haven’t looked back!
I now have a thriving private practice with clients, and I paint one day a week. My painting is my therapy, as the world drops away when I’m in the zone in the studio. It’s important for everyone to have places to find their peace, and it’s painting the beauty of the natural landscapes of my life, that I’ve found mine. I have so much more to learn, because I did not have a formal art education, so I still get the names of the various blues, reds or yellows mixed up; but I paint more intuitively, and as my teacher says, “paint what you see with your eyes, not your brain”. My goal is to cut back on my practice and paint more. Life is short!
I currently live with my wonderfully supportive husband and our Norwich Terrier Milo in Needham, and we have two amazing daughters that are my pride and joy.
For me, art is relaxing and stimulating at once. It provides the camaraderie of artist friends. Whether in the studio or via Zoom, art friends are supportive and enjoy discussing and making art together. Each time I view another’s art, visit a museum, attend an art demonstration or put a graphite pencil to paper, I learn something. In addition to enjoying and creating art with friends, a best day might include painting a marsh from an overlook in Hingham, working in my studio or taking a portraiture class. What a hobby!
It’s important to retain a childlike sense of wonder. I find painting to be an extension of self and paradoxically an expression of creative consciousness as a whole. When I am working, I am thoroughly immersed and present. The process quiets the chatty parts of my brain. Even when it is frustrating or a complete failure, I will have learned something.
I have been drawing as far back as I can remember. At the age of two I drew circles with smaller circles around the larger circles. I have vivid memories from nursery school of first using finger paints. I can still remember the magic of how the colors blended together as I moved the paint around with my fingers. My mother was an artist so there were always pens, pencils, and paints available. She even had an easel set up in the living room with an oil painting of my sister and I. I remember the soft gobs of paint on her wooden palette and the smell of oil paint. We had paper taped to the walls of our playroom so as to be able to draw at any time.
I have been primarily a watercolorist, painting landscapes and flowers. Originally from upstate New York, I grew up in an apple orchard, so nature and botanicals have always been favorite subjects. I’ve been a high school English teacher, an owner/designer of a greeting card company, a professional calligrapher, a college admissions counselor–and a member of WSA for over 20 years.
Like most of us, I started out attempting realism, but I found my real joy was abstraction. A series of abstracted watercolor landscapes continued through many years, with frequent breaks for more realistic flower paintings. I felt busy. I had held offices and taken jobs in my associations—Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Scituate—and a Signature Membership in the New England Watercolor Society. There were many show opportunities and I tried to exhibit in all of them. For twenty years I hosted an annual Open Studio in my home. Also for many years I have been making annual collaborative books with Kay Villa. She lives in Wisconsin now, so we mail the pages back and forth, each of us filling our side of the page. For our last three books I painted small watercolors. 
Instead of painting as much as I once did, I am trying totally new things. Filling a sketchbook with tiny pen and ink drawings. Filling another with abstract paper collages. Drawing animals in colored pencil over acrylic patterns. Adding watercolor to Gauguin’s trace monotype technique. Exploring mark making on collage papers. Creating small books filled with patterns. Few of these things are frame-worthy. I do them just for me.