Maxine Martell, "Adrift," 2006, acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Maxine Martell, "Bateau III," 2002, charcoal on paper
Maxine Martell, "Conjurer X," 1993, acrylic on canvas
Maxine Martell, "Ring of Fire," 1982, lithograph, 19.5 x 26 inches; photo by Stadler Studio
Maxine Martell, "Midnight," 2005, acrylic on canvas
Maxine Martell, "Once," 2005, acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Maxine Martell, "Like the Wind," 2005, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 48 x 36 inches; photo by Stadler Studio
An exhibition featuring an overview of this Whidbey Island artist's career. Many of the works are large scale and in series. Martell's work is engaging on many levels: the purely visual, with its use of bright color and intricate renderings; the narrative, with its juxtaposition of familiar and exotic objects; and the conceptual, with its focus on surface and layering of scenes. Her paintings invite and provoke responses, questions, and stories. From her early work in printmaking, through experiments in filmmaking, to public and private commissions in glass, Martell has always come back to paint and the figure, but her work is active and activated beyond these basic concerns. Full of intelligence and motion, Martell's work is an exploration of the human condition, the world, and her close observations of inner and outer landscapes.
