Introduction
I am a woman of Celtic heritage born and raised in Australia. I am a daughter, mother and grandmother. My creative drive and personal strength is drawn from the women past and present in my family. I am an artist, designer and tutor working in hand crafted lettering design, Celtic art, drawing, painting and mixed media works on paper, canvas and glassware. I am also experimenting with printmaking, pyrography, engraving & decorating gourds.
Creative Upbringing & Influences
Growing up Australian in the 70’s meant that identity was all about sporting prowess, of which I could not relate to. I grew up surrounded by creative pursuits, from 18th century paintings in tempera by my predecessors to the highly skilled fibre work & sketches of my mother & grandmother. They encouraged me to make and create through exploration of materials and skills they taught me. My mother opened my eyes to calligraphy and Celtic art with her stories about *The Book of Kells and the facsimile held in the Mitchell Library, where she worked as a young woman in Sydney.
Exploring Materials & Techniques
Through studying calligraphy I discovered the beauty of working with watercolour gouache and pigment inks on rag papers, parchments and **vellum. I enjoy layering acrylic backgrounds with lettering and design overlaid in watercolour gouache and highlights of raised gold. The tools I favour are very fine pointed brushes and calligraphy pens with square-cut or pointed nibs.
Celtic Art Inspired by Australian Plants & Animals
I have developed a form of Celtic art that celebrates my identity & connection to the Australian Landscape where I intertwine Australian plants and animals with Celtic knots and spirals. I use calligraphy to convey a direct meaning or add a necessary element of completion to the artwork. My artworks are inspired by my experience of place, of connection to place and my shared responsibility to care for Mother Earth. The continuous interconnecting pathways in Celtic design are symbolic of our human interconnectedness with nature and our vital need to care for the Earth that sustains us.
A Dedicated Path to Artistic Study
For those of you who need to know my study path, here it is. At 17yrs of age I studied fundamental drawing at Julian Ashton Art School, The Rocks, Sydney. In following years I did many art courses looking for my niche. I worked in graphic arts for some years, learning computer graphics on the job as the industry transitioned. I studied calligraphy and associated arts for 9 years with Coffs Calligraphers and The Australian Society of Calligraphers, completing a Cert.IV in Calligraphy, followed by a Cert.IV in Teaching Calligraphy. These organisations mentored me in teaching and practicing calligraphy to a high professional standard.
*The Book of Kells is an ancient Celtic Christian manuscript, unfinished, of the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, produced around the year AD800. Centuries later it was found buried in Kells, Ireland, and thought to have been hand lettered and decorated in the scriptorium at Lindisfarne.
** Manuscripts of the past two millenia were usually hand lettered and decorated on pages made from fine quality animal skins. Parchments were made from goat or sheepskins, while the higher valued vellum was made from calf skins. The most highly prized writing surface, slunk vellum, was made from the skin of a stillborn calf, being very fine grained, soft and translucent.
Exploring the Influences of Marta’s Art
Marta shares the inspiration of her contemporary art, which draws on ancient art practices such as calligraphy, illumination, gilding and Celtic art.
Group exhibitions
2020, Feb-March - Nature & Us, GIGS Gallery, Gateway Village, Wodonga VIC
2014, November – Westfield Pop Up Gallery, Tuggerah NSW
2014, June – Choose Yourself, The Entrance Gallery, The Entrance NSW
1996 to 2014 - Sydney Royal Easter Show, Calligraphy exhibition, Sydney NSW
1998 to 2013 - Australian Society of Calligraphers, biennial exhibitions in Sydney
2004 to 2007 - Newman-White Gallery, Lithgow NSW
2005 to 2007 - Autumn Artfest, Winmalee High School, Winmalee NSW
2006 - From the Rainforest to the Sea, Gold Coast Calligraphy Society
1992 to 2004 - Coffs Calligrapher’s annual exhibition, Coffs Harbour Botanical Gardens, Coffs Harbour NSW
2004 - Stanthorpe Arts Festival, Stanthorpe QLD
2003 - Celtic Art & Calligraphy, Mater Hospital Mercy Hospice, Newcastle NSW
2001 - An Exhibition of Celtic Art & Craft, Celtic Studies Centre, Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman NSW
2000 - An Exhibition of Celtic Art & Craft, Celtic Studies Centre, Seymour Centre University of Sydney, Sydney NSW
2000 - Celtic Calligraphy Competition, The Australian Celtic Festival, Glenn Innes NSW
2000 - Kempsey Shire Art Prize, Kempsey NSW
1998 to 2000 - Calligraphy Southscribes exhibitions, Gymea NSW
1994 to 2000 - Annual Southern Cross Arts & Crafts Festival, Ballina NSW
1992 to 1997 - Woolgoolga Art Group annual Art & Craft Exhibition, Woolgoolga NSW
2021 - Invited to tutor an online art workshop for Albury-Wodonga Upstream Festival in The Market of Curious Things workshop event on 6 March. I delivered a workshop on Illuminated Letters which was very well received by the community and organisers.
2020 - I was invited and entered ‘Bashkriti’ an online international calligraphy exhibition in India. As part of the exhibition I was a speaker in their 4 day virtual conference on education, art and calligraphy.
1998 to current - I have curated solo & group exhibitions in collaboration with galleries, fellow artists and community art groups. My curatorial work is professional and efficient to the appreciation of both artists and supporting organisations alike.
1992 to current – I have successfully designed and delivered courses and workshops for That Little Place Art & Craft Centre in Wodonga, Macquarie Community College, Coffs Calligraphers club, the Australian Society of Calligraphers, Adult & Community Colleges throughout NSW, Camp Creative in Bellingen, and for my own arts business. Topics covered include: traditional and contemporary calligraphy hands, Illuminated letters and decoration, Celtic art, colour principles, bookbinding, paper making, watercolours, and glass painting.
1992 to 2007 – I have been awarded many prizes in competitive exhibitions (as above), including 1st, 2nd, highly commended and people’s choice awards.
2016 - Featured artist online at Artsy Shark http://bit.ly/1O2wcPl.
1997 to 2014 – Colophon, member magazine of the Australian Society of Calligraphers, regular contributions to articles, and cover artworks.
2008 to 2011 - http://www.thenookleura.com.au/about/, The NOOK Craft Cooperative Leura NSW, listed as exhibiting member.
2010 – WordsWork, Calligraphy and Lettering Art of Australia and New Zealand 2009-2010, pub. Australian Society of Calligraphers, I am one of 72 current day artists showcasing their work.
1997 to 2005 – Kalligraphia, member magazine of Coffs Calligraphers club, regular contributions to articles and cover artworks.
1993 to 2003 – The Coffs Harbour Advocate newspaper, regular articles about exhibitions, courses and workshops I presented.
2000 – Handmade in the Nambucca, a directory of artists, craftspeople, growers and fine cuisine in the Nambucca Valley NSW.
Private collections in Australia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Scotland, Japan & the U.S.
Solo exhibitions
2016 - Pop-up Exhibition, Re:Publik Cafe, Ettalong, NSW
2014 – Celtic Art & Calligraphy, Gnostic Mana Café, Woy Woy NSW
2011- Interlacing Heritage, Steplight, St Leonards NSW
2008 - The Workshop, Katoomba NSW
2007 - Mementos Café, Blackheath NSW
2005 - Newman-White Gallery, Lithgow NSW
2001- Celtic Art & Calligraphy, The Old Lodge Gallery, Gladstone NSW
Exhibitions in collaboration with 1 or 2 other artists
2017 - Night's Watch Parliament, Bringing birds of the night into the light., The Art House, Wyong NSW
2013 - The Nature of Australia by 2, Zigi’s, Chippendale
2006 - Creativity x 3, Braemar Gallery, Springwood NSW
2002 - Creativity by Three, Netherby House, Kempsey
