Once we thought we were through the worst of the pandemic, we realized it was only wishful thinking. Even in 2021, studio visits seemed out, and few artists were socializing the way we had. In the studio, though, there were materials, drawers of drawings and ideas to reconsider and rework.

I discovered some pieces of primed canvas in a small roll in the back of the studio. Why not fuss around with this? I'd never really liked painting on stretched canvas, and to date, have made only four stretched paintings on canvas. Spring was coming; it was 2021, and the desire to draw/paint against a smooth hard surface made rethink materials. I had been working with a variety of papers and Tyvek, I stayed with this for awhile, collaging patterned and colored papers before painting. Then I moved to heavy watercolor paper; the Intersection series was made on Arches 300 lb paper, one of the stiffest but most accommodating of papers. Although, when I finished that series several years ago, I began exploring other ways of painting on surfaces that could remain flat. That led to current work, the result of many experiments through much of the year.

Canvas? Paper could be attached to canvas, and in turn, canvas could be attached to a lighter fabric. And raw canvas has a unique feel and texture, much like the Arches paper. Applying gesso is far superior to primed canvas, as the cloth remains cloth-like, and the paint has more affinity with the surface, depending on the application of gesso.

Martie Holmer

Martie Holmer

Behind the Signs