"ABANDONED"

This piece is one of my favorites.  It is Oil on Canvas. 5' x 4'  $1200.

A friend and I were riding on our usual early morning bike ride, when we stumbled upon this amazing building.  Because the sun was low in the sky, the cast shadows were beautiful and I knew that this was something I wanted to paint someday.  Finally the day came when I felt ready to embark on this project.  It is the old Hookdale Elevator along side the railroad tracks in Hookdale, IL, a very small rural town in southern Illinois.  The sign says "Purina Chows".  

The sense of abandonment is strong here.  It speaks to silence and uselessness, of age and loneliness. The setting of the building, standing quietly amidst isolation, next to unused railroad tracks adds to the barren feeling of the piece.


Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

Mother & Child Painting Process

I begin with an open grisaille, which means doing an underpainting in a single color, 

such as burnt umber, burnt sienna, or a blue. this gives you a "tonal map" to guide you

when you begin to add color.

Here I am adding my first layer of color, and continue 

until the canvas is covered with the first layer of paint.

Below is the finished product, adding detail and layers 

until satisfied.

Mother & Child

Oil on Canvas

16" x 20"

NFS


Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Forest's Edge"

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, size:  30" x 30"

$250.00


Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Withered Grapes"

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 20" x 20"

This bunch of grapes on my counter were past their prime, and yet, they were still catching the light in such a beautiful way that one can begin to see that perfection is not always the necessary thing, not always the best thing.  Often perfection can be the way that leads us astray, leads us to folly. Imperfection seems to me to be more the way of God.

Price:  $400.00
Won an Award of Excellence from Art St. Louis
Email me at ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Inception"

Acrylic on Gallery wrapped Canvas, 36" x 59"  $1000.00

I was thinking about the Inception of creativity, of dreams and where they begin.  The mystery that beguiles each of us into believing that we have work that needs to be done, that needs to be seen, that needs to be spoken. I like the atmospheric quality and the large size of this one.


Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Disenfranchised"

Concrete, Wood, Rusty Bits   Size: W 19.5" x H 31" x D 12"

I started collecting "rusty bits" during morning walks, not knowing why, or what they could become.  After graduating from small "bits" to larger ones and becoming amazed at how many discarded bits and pieces one can find when one becomes mindful, I began wondering what they were saying to me and why I was collecting them.

I realized the pieces themselves spoke of having been discarded, broken and abandoned.  These words evoked an emotional response that led to the creation of this icon, symbolizing the castoff, the silenced, the disenfranchised in society who have been "passed over" and "fenced out." by the church of our day.

Price:  $800.00

Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Abundance"

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 30" x 30"
One summer day, after going to the Farmer's Market, I had this beautiful bowl of tomatoes that cried out to me in their loveliness.  I had to paint them.  I especially love the red tomato at the top.

Price:  $400.00

Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Corn Perspective"

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 20' x 20"
$400.00

Because I live in Illinois, the superabundance of corn cannot be understated.  One day, while looking at it from a new perspective, I realized that one should paint what one knows and so, I decided to undertake a few "Corn Perspectives"  This is the smallest of 4 that I have done, and the only one left.  It is a view from below, looking up into the sky.

email: ilermartha@yahoo.com

Invitation

36" x 36" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.Price: $800.00

This large 36" x 36" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.
In creating this piece, I was thinking about bowls and how they intrinsically invite us into their space. However, if bowls become filled with themselves, there is no room for anything "other."  What happens when bowls get unexpectedly shifted and new space is created?  For me, being shifted creates discomfort, but ultimately flares into renewal, creativity, a change in worldview.

email: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Isolation"

24" x 48" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvasPrice: $1,000.

This 24" x 48" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas is another that makes me happy.  It is my older style, and reflects the isolation of the current social media/phone culture that we live in that creates loneliness even while pretending to connect.

email: ilermartha@yahoo.com

The Geranium

24" x 48" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
$$1000.00

I like the brilliant colors and the way the geranium leans over into the darkness. It reminds me of my father's geraniums.

email: ilermartha@yahoo.com