Alexandria, VA

What drew Martha to a career in advertising and marketing is a love of the creative process. She delights in witty writing, intriguing images, and the power of an inspired idea to elicit emotion. 

Through calligraphy and other artistic pursuits, she became enchanted by the sumptuous and tactile aesthetic of handmade paper. She calls her latest obsession Paper Propinquity.

“Propinquity” means “nearness,” or “akin,” and is often used to describe the unlikely relationships that form through closeness. (Think office romances or college courtships.) 

In her creations, exquisite but disparate prints and textures develop kinships through juxtaposition. Each combination tells its own story.

She explains, “For example, the piece “Refined by Fire,” tells the transformational story of the crucible. When gold is exposed to fire in the crucible, the impurities are burned away. This amalgamation of papers describes the process: the singular red furnace, the smokey swirls, the deep blacks, and the resulting bright golds. I’ve found life with a terminal illness is a bit like taking dips in a crucible. Priorities get refined; more time with beloveds is golden.”

With roots in Tennessee and Los Angeles, Martha made Alexandria home in 1990, feeling it was an average of the two disparate places: part cosmopolitan California, part southern kindness; with colorful seasons and people. She loves life with her cherished husband, Bob, who also provides technical support in the studio (AKA the house), and her precious pup, Sophie. Her kids and grandkids are, happily, nearby.