PART 1
Hannah: What do you want your work to give to the viewer? What type of reaction are you looking for?
Marteha:
When I am painting I don’t really have this on my mind. Before I paint I have an image in mind, but by the time the painting is finished my mind has changed so many times and instinct has also come in to the point that the image has deviated so far from my intention that sometimes I’m shocked at the outcome (that’s usually a good thing). So I don’t necessarily paint in order to give something to a viewer, but rather I follow my instincts and the paint does the rest. But generally I like to please people with my paintings. I don’t paint for any particular kind of audience so I’d like to paint something that is appealing to adults, kids, men and women alike. I like things that just about anyone can enjoy. I don’t have any political messages or anything serious like that in my art, I just want people to see my works and be pleased in some way. Whether it’s because they enjoy my bright, vivid colors or if they like the subject matter is completely up to the viewer. I don’t want them to walk away disgusted, angry or sad. I just want that to be one moment of peace.
Hannah:
What subject matter do you lean towards more? Portraits, landscapes, still lives? Why do you think so?
Marteha:
Definitely portraiture, figure painting and occasionally still lives. I really enjoy portraits because it’s something familiar to me since we see people everyday. I like to try to capture an essence of the individual in my paintings. I don’t just want to capture their appearance, but I am interested in incorporating some of that person’s psychology as well. Portraiture can be really dynamic and no two people look exactly the same; not even identical twins! I like still lives simply because I like to analyze things and recreate it on a canvass. I think that is an interest of mine. I just like to observe things.
Hannah:
What artists have you been looking at that have the most influence on you? Is it showing in your work?
Marteha:
My main inspirations tend to be artists who work figuratively and use compelling colors. I am absolutely in love with Jenny Saville and Wayne Thiebaud. I also enjoy works by Alice Neel, Euan Uglow, Lisa Yuskavage, Kamille Cory, Simmie Knox, and Terrance Osbourne. Some artists that I have recently taken an interest in include Michael Naples, Gerard Boersma, Debra Hurd, and Jane LaFarge Hamill. I don’t think you can look at my work and necessarily see that I am inspired by these artists, but I do take certain aspects of their styles and apply it to my work. Some of them I like their color palettes, their compositions, or I have an interest in the subject matter that they paint. I have lately been viewing Boersma, Hurd, and Naples because I have some ideas in mind for my next series of “Night paintings” and I felt that viewing their works would be useful for that purpose.
Hannah:
What do you plan on exploring/investigating in your body of work for thesis? Is your thesis work of similar concepts as what you’re currently doing?
Marteha:
I believe it will be based on my initial interests, but I plan to push it towards another level. I want to continue certain themes but I would also like to create works that are visually distinct from what I have been creating up until this point. Pretty much I would like to create something that is new to me but still is in tune with my interests.
Hannah:
What is it about the bold, vibrant colors you like? What qualities do they provide for your paintings?
Marteha:
I have always been attracted to really vibrant saturated colors. There’s something about them that really makes a work of art POP! That is specifically what draws me to the art of Wayne Thiebaud and Terrance Osbourne. If you see their works the color just captivates you. You can never be bored. There is no way that you can walk past a painting like this in a gallery. The colors have a way of demanding your attention and the images stay with you. This is exactly my intention. If you like mediocre colors that’s fine, but if you’re looking at one of my paintings expect color that is going to excite you.
PART 2
Marteha:
What inspires you to paint?
Hannah:
Well, I think my inspiration comes from my emotions. Depending on my mood, how I’m feeling, sometimes the weather, I spark ideas and then I just start to paint. I never usually make sketches or anything, but I always think about my colors. I have strong tendencies to base entire paintings, based on the 2 or 3 colors I pick out of the box. I’ll just really want to use a specific color and from there I start painting, and whatever happens, happens
Marteha:
What is a common theme in your work?
Hannah:
A common theme in my work seems to be drips. In almost every painting I have drips that occurred naturally, or I put them there. Something about the flow and the uncertainty of them fascinates me and I enjoy watching what they will do. It helps me continue with a painting, especially when I become frustrated with a painting, I turn to drips, and it gives me something to work with.
Marteha:
In what ways have you grown as an artist since you’ve been painting? (Especially within the past four years).
Hannah:
I don’t rely on photographs or models anymore, I have grown completely into abstraction and the use of colors and how they compare. I have a much better understanding, how to “use the paint,” and not just use it “as paint.”
Marteha:
What artists influence you the most and what artists have you recently been following?
Hannah:
Artists that have had the most influence over me would be, Wasilly Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Ellsworth Kelly, Joesef Albers, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, and more, but these are the ones that I always reference to when I find myself lost. I haven’t been looking at too many artists for myself recently, however I have been seeing a lot of new work while making gallery visits to New York. Some things are interesting, but I haven’t been “looking” too much, I use myself and what I see around me. Sometimes a CD cover will give me all the fuel to create an idea for a painting. It’s just, I like it, or I don’t.
Marteha:
What are your hopes for your artwork this semester?
Hannah:
I hope to paint as many paintings as I can. I want to have so many I can really pick and choose different combinations and styles to use for my thesis. I’m really interested in experimenting with texture and color, to create counter effects within the painting. I want to cover my exhibit area top to bottom, and with new ideas and techniques. I want to have a decent selection of work by the end of this semester, so as to motivate me for the spring.
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