"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

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