Martha Putnam

Having grown up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Martha has always been passionate about and exposed to art. She studied Art History at Georgetown University starting during the summer of her junior year of high school and Studio Art at the University of New Mexico. Martha’s art during her first twenty years was capturing everything she saw with her camera--often to the disapproval of family members and animals who grew tired of being photographed. While Martha was at Georgetown, the National Gallery of Art celebrated the 100th year of Georgia O'Keefe's birth with a major retrospective show, which moved Martha dramatically--it was amazing to see the original works that she had owned as posters.

Needing to pay off student loans, Martha's art for the next 20 years was still photography and some sketching as well as developing apartment buildings that were unique in architecture and overall concept in Northern California. Her husband is a professional sculptor, so the photographs became more important to him, since they were the basis of many of his animal sculptures. She sold her first photograph after an African safari in 1994. Martha’s photographs are the basis behind all of her paintings.

When she decided that she needed a change in career, Martha returned to school to study design and art and began doing color for the interiors and exteriors of homes and apartments. She gravitated to painting and figure drawing where she studied with Bill Morales for two years. Martha prefers painting animal images to all other, but also paints abstract paintings when she wants a break. Her initial photographs create the feeling about her paintings, whether it be contemplation, fun or some other emotion. Color helps her express the mood. She tries to capture something about the animal that will make a viewer smile. She feels a painting is done when she is happy with the color, texture and look on an animal's face--especially the eyes and surrounding area. She also likes to capture an animal in its own environment where it is more likely to be comfortable and be its true self.

Dogs are of particular interest because she understands them best. Martha and her husband Dave, who wrote the breed book on the American Bulldog, have raised four American Bulldogs, including Brindle Love, the subject of many paintings. They share their home with a Labrador Retriever Puppy, Zip, 13-year old Brindle Love and two feral cats, Socks and Little.

Martha’s painting of Jack the Labradoodle just got chosen out of 1700 works by 600 artists to be in the Texas National Art Show in April and May 2010.