"Anguish"

 I created this piece as the pandemic became full blown and we were realizing that the hardest hit people were generally women. I wanted the piece to have the air of a closed restaurant, the "Sorry We're Closed" sign being so very prevalent in the world at that time.  I wanted to show the uncertainty of the future and the despair of mothers who had no work and no way to provide for their children.  

Oil on Canvas. 

20" x 28" x 1.5"

$1500.00

 My finished piece, 24" x 36" oil on canvas.  SOLD. 

There are many pressing dilemma’s in life.  Some of them are self imposed, some come from the outside.  The solitary nature of the last year (2020) due to Covid and so much unrest in the culture around us has caused a rethinking of relationships on many levels.  

What is my responsibility? 

Where am I blind? 

How do I navigate this terrain? 

This piece comes out of the swirling depth of those seemingly unanswerable questions.

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

Convergence/Divergence: A Study of Style

These are four of the paintings from my show, "Convergence Divergence" 

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. 

"Unbreakable 2" Oil on Canvas, 24" x 20"
Companion Abstract
$500.00

"Unbreakable 1" Oil on Canvas, 24" x 20"
Realism

Show opened March 1st, 2019 at the Maves Gallery on the Greenville University Campus, in Greenville, IL.  I will be posting more of them regularly.

"Reflective 1" Oil on Canvas 24" x 20"
Realism

"Reflective 2" Oil on Canvas 24" x 20"
Companion Abstract
$500.00

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?  

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

"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

"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

"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

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