This is the grisaille of my painting "Quandary".  I used burnt sienna to tone my canvas and then raw umber and lead white to paint the grisaille.

AWAKE YOU SLEEPERS

by Martha Iler  26"x 30"  Shredded paper, wax, aluminum, wood and screening.

This piece was created using shredded financial documents. 

Often it seems that the answers to the issues of our day are difficult to discern. However, when we look to the past, sometimes it is clearer.  

It is interesting to look at one of the argument that was given before the Civil War to prop up slavery.  Many said the economy of the South would be severely damaged by setting slaves free, therefore it should not be done.  Voting rights were determined by whether one had money or land.  

Not so long ago, it was argued by corporate executives in front of Congress that cigarette smoking "was NOT harmful to one's health" despite the surgeon general's report. Vast material wealth gained at the expense of ordinary people was and is still common. 

Can we look to the past to see how money shapes our beliefs about today's issues?  Can we examine and reexamine the roots of our beliefs?

Grace and Peace

"Grace and Peace" by Martha Iler

I did this painting for our "Small Works" show in December at Piety's Gallery.  It is Oil on Paper and is 9" x 9"  I had wanted to do it for quite awhile and finally got to it.  SOLD

Charcoal and White Chalk

My charcoal and white chalk drawing.  I did this during a class at the Gateway Academy of Classical Art in St. Louis.  I have been attending there since May and have learned a great deal about using these materials and drawing accurately.  It is about 16" x 20".

Pencil Portraits

Pencil Portraits of your child, pet, grandmother, home or whatever you'd like from your photo.  Usual size is 11" x 14" that can be framed to 16" x 20' standard size frame.  Price: $150.00 per face plus $7.00 shipping.

Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

DREAMING

This is an 8"x 10" Oil on heavy paper painting of a young girl, dreaming.  She is symbolically "unfinished" and yet has a resoluteness to her that keeps her steady in the face of an uncertain future.

"Dreaming" 8" x 10" Oil on Heavy Paper
$200.00

Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

More from Convergence/Divergence

Here are three more of my portrait series from my show "Convergence/Divergence

that was held on on the Greenville University Campus in the Maves Art Center from February 25th through March 8th.  

This work portrays a joining together of apparently unconnected perspectives so that the viewers are startled out of their complacency and forced to think through the disparate styles.   I present a dissimilar combination of similar images to create an emotional as well as thoughtful response. 

In art, there is often a conflict between expressionism and realism. Is the visual description of one approach outside the reach of the other? Are they revealing very different truths about the subject? What does one show that the other does not? By expressing this contradictory split of contrasting styles and presenting "the same" in two ways, different dimensions are allowed to be seen.  Can we see "the other" when "the same" is altered?  Can we explore a new dimension that takes us out of our comfort zone and expresses what the soul sees?  Is it possible to go two directions or more at the same time?  

In mathematics, the word orthogonal relates to two functions that are perpendicular to one another. Perpendicular lines can emanate in any direction coming out of the point where they intersect. We experience our human space as three dimensional, that is it has three orthogonal directions, however since there are potentially an infinite number of dimensions, there are an infinite number of orthogonal relationships that can be explored to solve problems. In math and in art we can explore  these infinite dimensions in order to solve problems and explore the nature of reality without the constraint of our physical reality.  In like manner, many forms of expression can emanate from a single source to solve a problem or present an idea. So it is in math and in art.

Contact: ilermartha@yahoo.com

"Resolute" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Realism

"Resolute II" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Companion Abstract
$500.00

"Courage" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Realism

"Courage II" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Companion Abstract
$500.00

"Undaunted" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Realism

"Undaunted II" Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"
Companion Abstract
$500.00

"Coming Rain" Oil on Canvas, 32 x 46"
Southern Illinois Landscape, Soybeans in midsummer.
$1000.00

"Abandoned" Oil on Canvas, 4' x 5'
Hookdale Elevator, in Hookdale, Illinois.
$1200.00

Upcoming EXHIBITION

Convergence/Divergence

This is my second solo show.  I was invited by Greenville University in Greenville, IL to have a show in their gallery from Feb 25th - Mar 8th of 2019.  

This work portrays a joining together of apparently unconnected perspectives so that the viewers are startled out of their complacency and forced to think through the disparate styles.   I present a dissimilar combination of similar images to create an emotional as well as thoughtful response. 

In art, there is often a conflict between expressionism and realism. Is the visual description of one approach outside the reach of the other? Are they revealing very different truths about the subject? What does one show that the other does not? By expressing this contradictory split of contrasting styles and presenting "the same" in two ways, different dimensions are allowed to be seen.  Can we see "the other" when "the same" is altered?  Can we explore a new dimension that takes us out of our comfort zone and expresses what the soul sees?  Is it possible to go two directions or more at the same time?  

In mathematics, the word orthogonal relates to two functions that are perpendicular to one another. Perpendicular lines can emanate in any direction coming out of the point where they intersect. We experience our human space as three dimensional, that is it has three orthogonal directions, however since there are potentially an infinite number of dimensions, there are an infinite number of orthogonal relationships that can be explored to solve problems. In math and in art we can explore  these infinite dimensions in order to solve problems and explore the nature of reality without the constraint of our physical reality.  In like manner, many forms of expression can emanate from a single source to solve a problem or present an idea. So it is in math and in art.

"Quandary"

"Quandary" 20" x 20" Oil on Canvas

by Martha Iler

Painting of a young woman uncertain of what the future holds.

Speaks to doubt, anxiety, suspense, unease or watchfulness.

The Greenville Artist Guild Fall Show 2018

Our most recent show, coming up on March 15th, in Piety's Art Gallery, 122 S. Second St, in Greenville IL.

6-8:30 pm

Show runs until April 5th, during regular gallery hours, posted above.

Out of the Shadows 2018

Out of the Shadows  Oil on Aluminum Panel  NFS

This painting is my second figurative oil painting.  I see it as an image of young women coming out of the shadows , politically and figuratively, finding their way into a new age of equality, stepping out of the past and into the present.


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