Stephanie Martin
BIO
Stephanie Zeiler Martin is a painter and printmaker living on the California coast. Each medium makes its own demands. Plein aire painting is immediate and engaging; the light is continually changing and the elements - wind, fog, heat, lightning, ants, mosquitoes - are always at play. Printmaking, particularly etching, has its own vicissitudes and creeps along on a longer time scale. The process of drawing the subject, and then capturing the image on a copper plate, can take many hours over weeks or months. And strange things can happen in the acid tank.
Stephanie's recent series of intaglio etchings depicts the flora and avifauna of her native landscape. She sketches birds and nests at regional natural history museums, and finds botanical subjects in local gardens, farms and wildlands.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"Oh, you're painting your dog," a friend once remarked upon walking into David Hockney's studio.
"No," said Hockney, "I'm painting my love for my dog."
I have long appreciated wild places and creatures, but my art work has given me even greater regard for the design and diversity of nature. Painting a landscape or drawing a bird forces me to observe much more keenly a familiar creature or place. I wrangle with what is the most essential information to convey, and - just as important - what to leave out or merely suggest.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015
The Usual Miracles, Stripe Design, Santa Cruz, California
Nature & Design, Michaelangelo Gallery, Santa Cruz, California
Visions of Wild California, Greening Gallery, Sausalito, California
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, California
2014
Etchings of Eden, San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, California
Land, Sky, Sea: Etchings, Stripe Design, Santa Cruz, California
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California
2013
Recent Etchings, work.shop. mobile gallery, Davenport, California
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California
2012
Continuum: Paintings and Etchings, Gabriella Cafe, Santa Cruz, California
Natural Progression: Paintings and Etchings, Stripe Design, Santa Cruz, California
Recent Etchings, Mount Madonna Center for the Arts, Watsonville, California
Feather These Bones: Etchings, Chocolate, Santa Cruz, California
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California
2011
Flora & Fauna: Etchings, Santa Cruz County Government Center, Santa Cruz, CA
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California
2010
A Visual Feast: Oils, Pastels, and Etchings, Gabriella Cafe, Santa Cruz, CA
Mountains and Sea: Landscapes, County Mental Health Department, Santa Cruz, CA
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California
2009
Flora and Fauna Etchings, Artisans Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz County, California