Martha Holmes
Painting
Landscape painter Martha Holmes makes plein air and studio works that respond to the coastal environment of Cornwall, and that are inspired by the abstract and Modern style of many of the St Ives School artists. Fascinated by the shifting identity of both the north and south coastlines, her work is a response to the changing light, structures and colours that surround her as she paints.
Martha graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from Falmouth University in 2018. She now works as a painter at her studio in Falmouth.
Exhibitions:
2018 -
‘INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY’ Group Show, Beside The Wave, Falmouth,
‘IMPRESSION, FORM, REDISCOVERY’ - Group Show, Beside The Wave, Falmouth,
‘GRADUATE SHOW 2018’ - Group Show, Beside The Wave, Falmouth,
‘COAST TO COAST’ - Solo Show, Beside The Wave, Falmouth,
‘WATERSIDE GALLERY’ – Exhibiting since 2017,
‘THE NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY’ - Exhibiting since 2019.
I am a painter working both plein air and from my studio in Falmouth. My paintings are a reaction to the coastal environment which has always surrounded me. Process, and the space I work in, has always been important and I am fascinated by the shifting identity of both the north and south coastlines of Cornwall. My work is a reaction to the way a landscape alters throughout the day - the colours, the intensity of light and the changes in weather fronts influence how a painting evolves. Time controls the components to my paintings and encourages me to be present within my work. My paintings are momentary. It is the passing of time and the visual changes within the landscape that are reflected in the spontaneous energy of my brush strokes. I never plan a painting or have preconceived ideas of how it will form. I simply respond to the visual immersive experience in that moment. They are an elemental reaction of time and place.
