Artist Profile: Martha Wolfe

Martha Wolfe
Davis, California

1. What kind of challenges did this theme present to you? This was a pretty accessible theme for me as I focussed on "artistic expression based on personal style". I have several recurring images in my work, and seabirds are probably the most common. From a distance, the flock appears to be a lot of the same bird - but as you look closer, personalities emerge, individuals. No two are the same. Each has a story.

2. Describe your studio space? Currently, cluttered….but in general, it’s a bright space, with a shelf unit along one wall, filled with my favorite things - fabric, books, pictures and memorabilia. Another wall is a design wall. My cutting table and computer desk are on cinderblocks so I can do most activities standing (which is great), with the exception of actually machine sewing. There's music and podcasts and friendly cats. It is my portal to peace these days.

3. Where can people see your work in the next six months? My work can be seen in the NorCA/NV SAQA “Strata” exhibit at the Pence Gallery in Davis, CA; NorCA/NV and CT SAQA “Local Color” exhibit at the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, CT; NM SAQA “Natural Healing” exhibit at various locations - currently at the Inova Cancer Center in Fairfax, VA; Global SAQA exhibit “H2Oh” at various locations - currently at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY; Artist Circle Alliance’s “Threads of Resistance” exhibit at various locations - currently New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA; Viewpoints 9: Word exhibit at IQM/IQF in Houston, TX; and, of course, Dinner @ 8. 

4. Do you ever work in a series?  If so, what benefits or challenges does this present to you as an artist? While I don’t feel I work in a series, I do have certain imagery with personal significance that frequently inspires my work - birds, fish, bicycles, to name a few. Consequently, people associate them with my work, which can be both positive and negative - I never want to be limited to these subjects.

5. What other activities do you engage in that “feed” your creative energy? Photography feeds my creative energy, capturing new things when I travel, or using a macro in my back yard. Beyond that, printmaking, visiting museums and exhibitions, and talking with friends that share my passions, all feed my creative spirit and keep me imagining what is next. Confession: I deliberately shy away from new endeavors, like knitting and painting and glass-blowing and all those other things that beckon…...I haven’t enough time as it is.