History of the Future: Martha Eleen @ Ah! Arts & Heritage Centre in Warkworth
By Ted Amsden, Brighton Now
Jun 27, 2016 - There is a substantial exhibit of the paintings of Martha Eleen at the Ah! Arts & Heritage Centre in Warkworth. A retrospective. It is there until July 3.
The paintings are of the world we see. The world we know. A hill with trees. Farm views. Highrises. The ignored side of a shopping mall. The inside of a room. A son’s collection.
They span a 15 year history according to the artist who has been painting for 35 years and is at present a teacher at the Toronto School of Art.
During her one hour talk at the centre on Sunday about her work, she explained her progress as an artist. A landscape artist concerned with the socio-politico influences on landscape.
Defined as an observational painter, she said, “At first I was painting purposely looking outward.”
“In order to paint reality realistically (I had) to understand abstract structure that supports it.”
However, she is at a watershed moment in her life and has, “moved from an exploration of the structure of reality into more essential abstraction.”