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Martha Marshall: Resisting through Beauty
- Martha Marshall
- May 3
- 2 min read
"I guess you could say my act of resistance, over and above marching and carrying a sign, is trying to bring some beauty to this sad old world." Martha Marshall
Artist’s Statement
For years, my work was focused on colorful, large-scale abstract paintings. Then, around 2010, I began to concentrate on collage as a way to more freely express my artistic vision. I am in love with paper in its many guises, enhanced and transformed by spontaneous mark-making, and I have recently incorporated gel prints into my imagery. Over the fall and winter of 2024 and into 2025, I have created a series of collages using fragments of botanical prints created from found natural materials. I have only begun to explore the potential for transforming raw materials into a unique personal expression. The botanical imagery communicates my deep connection with the earth, with growing things, and my hope of bringing awareness to the interconnectedness of humans with our environment.
"All three collages above are 8 x 10 inches in size, on acid-free backing, and measure 11 x 14 inches. (the blue cast on that last one was caused by my photography lighting. It should be white, but the image itself is actual. The border color doesn’t really bother me." Martha Marshall
Martha Marshall grew up in north Alabama. From the time she was a small child, Martha’s mother, Jewell Miller Brooks, a landscape and still-life painter and teacher, nurtured her daughters' love of painting. As often as possible, the three spent their days outdoors, painting and sketching the open stretches of the rural Southern landscape. The colorful and atmospheric abstract paintings for which Martha first became known are strongly linked to those early experiences.
After spending several years in a successful marketing career, Martha now lives and works in Rockland County, New York. Her work has been featured in numerous gallery shows, from Washington, D.C., to the southernmost tip of Florida, and is collected worldwide. Martha’s works can be found in many major collections, both private and corporate, throughout the United States.
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