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Work Samples

Ideation

An 8" x 8" watercolor painted in vivid colors, "Ideation" appears to be a double exposure of the face of a woman alone with her thoughts.
An 8" x 8" watercolor painted in vivid colors, "Ideation" appears to be a double exposure of the face of a woman alone with her thoughts. It is a beginning of an ongoing series of face studies generated by Covid imposed isolation

"2020"

A person with a facial expression of uncertainty imposed by 2020 Covid isolation.
This11" x 14" watercolor painted in 2020 focused on the facial expression of a gesture life model in a short pose. Reflecting the uncertainty imposed by 2020 Covid isolation, it is the beginning of my study of faces imposed by the lack of life models during isolation.

BeamMeUp

"Beam Me Up" is a watercolor on paper, 24" h x 18" w painted in 2018.  The figure of an active woman is dissolving into energies of colors, numbers, and light to be "cyber transmitted" elsewhere and materialized at her new location.
"Beam Me Up" is a watercolor on paper, 24" h x 18" w developed in 2019 from study of the gestural life model. The figure of an active woman is dissolving into energies of colors, numbers, and light to be "cyber transmitted" elsewhere and materialized at her new location. The "count down" clock is starting from 12 and counting backward.

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About Diana

Baltimore County

Diana Marta's picture
After locating in Maryland in 1984, I earned an MFA in Studio Painting at Towson University. An artist who has supported my studio by teaching credit classes at Universities and Colleges for over 35 years, I now teach and mentor students at my Ellicott City location.  Exhibiting and being awarded for drawing, oil, watercolor,  installation, and digital animation, I have also curated well received regional exhibits of work by area colleagues. Recently I had been working from the gesture... more

Face It: 2020

Recently I had been working from the gesture life model with short, active poses as the basis of figuration.  But isolation during Covid months has changed the availability of everything.  Having no models and being "safe" in work space corners at home, I focused  on smaller scale paintings of faces. The watercolor "2020" captured the uncertainty of a life model's expression in a short pose. I am interested in the faces of people who are finally speaking out, thinking, sleeping, laughing, the expressions that may connect to our own feelings. Quarantine has made a lot of faces available on television.  And text has become a frequent inclusion in these paintings.

Missing being with other people, I unwittingly surrounded myself with face works in progress.  Cutting stencils from value shapes and contours of my own paintings, I could make multiples quickly.  Resolving them as variations takes more time. But during the intense time of developing each painting, it becomes a personal companion for the duration of its resolution and possibly beyond.

  • "2020"

    A face with the expression of uncertainty brought on by the Covid Pandemic of 2020
    This11" x 14" watercolor painted in 2020 focused on the facial expression of a gesture life model in a short pose. Reflecting the uncertainty imposed by 2020 Covid isolation, it is the beginning of my study of faces imposed by the lack of life models during isolation.
  • Ideation.jpg

    An 8" x 8" watercolor painted in vivid colors, "Ideation" appears to be a double exposure of the face of a woman alone with her thoughts.
    An 8" x 8" watercolor painted in vivid colors, "Ideation" appears to be a double exposure of the face of a woman alone with her thoughts. It is a beginning of an ongoing series of face studies generated by Covid imposed isolation
  • This Letter.jpg

    An 11" x 14" watercolor, "This Letter" incorporates stencils from other faces as well as text. Correspondence can be so complex in isolation.
    An 11" x 14" watercolor, "This Letter" incorporates stencils from other faces as well as text. Correspondence can have complex meanings and intentions.
  • What_did_you_say_.jpg

    "What Did You Say", an 11" w x 15" h watercolor, is a startled face starting to speak.
    "What Did You Say", an 11" w x 15" h watercolor, is a startled face starting to speak. It has a quality of dark surprise.
  • ThreeKeys.jpg

    "Three Keys" is a 9" x 7" watercolor originating from a model's pose with extended arm and hand.
    "Three Keys" is a 9" x 7" watercolor originating from a model's pose with extended arm and hand. Surrounded by pattern and the repetition of 3 keys it's meaning has multiple possibilities.
  • Madonna of Words.jpg

    This "Madonna of Words" is about to speak her own mind.
    This "Madonna of Words" is about to speak her own mind, using her own words, with their own meanings. She is poised to speak thoughtfully. People are becoming more aware of claiming their own entitllement for self.
  • Poet.jpg

    A watercolor, the tiny 4" x 6" "Poet" is glowing with personal inspiration.
    A watercolor, the tiny 4" x 6" "Poet" is glowing with personal inspiration.
  • Sleepless.jpg

    "Sleepless" is a 14" x 11" watercolor with vivid color and plentiful text.
    "Sleepless" is a 14" x 11" watercolor with vivid color. The plentiful text indicates a restless mind.
  • Out Of Control.jpg

    "Out of Control" not only references television reports of massive fires in California, it references burning feelings about the Covid environment.
    "Out of Control" not only references television reports of massive fires in California, it references burning feelings about the Covid environment.
  • Whisper.jpg

    "Whisper", an 11" x 15" watercolor, shows 2 faces and unreadable text.
    "Whisper", an 11" x 15" watercolor, shows 2 faces and unreadable text. A large background face appears to be whispering something ominous to another.

Installations with Repurposed 12" dolls

Dolls in play and in life act out human concern. In 2020 Covid concern changed the global, universal human condition. My first thought was to find and arrange 12" dolls to represent the new circumstances Covid brought to everyday activities. I canvased second hand stores and my collected dolls to collect as many points of view as an 8' long and 4' wide acrylic mirror surface would allow. Isolation is represented by a "Glow-in-the Dark" tape grid and glass cylinders to contain each doll. A New Playing Field" was installed at the Resident Artist Exhibit in July 2020 at the Howard County Arts Center.

I repurpose 12" dolls to represent the feelings of an outside force pulling the strings of one's intentions and the intentions of others. My puppet series has emerged from feelings of action/reaction, control/response, structure and free fall. This results in simultaneity, many things happening at once with layered meanings, while other stuff is going on behind the scenes. The free fall is my comfort zone in moving from one kind of space or materials to another. Possibilities aren't eliminated by my drawing or painting in only one format, and the 12" dolls were transformed for the "If" installation showed at Towson University's Gallery in 2012.

  • DollsGathered

    12 inch dolls were staged across an 8' x 4' acrylic mirror sectioned with a grid of Day-Glo tape.
    Repurposing toys (12" dolls) to imitate life, in July of 2020 I canvased second hand stores for used "Barbies" and glass cylinders. The dolls were staged across an 8' x 4' acrylic mirror sectioned with a grid of Day-Glo tape.Their positioning alludes to the "New Playing Field" of the 2020 Covid pandemic which affects all walks of life.
  • Dolls

    After canvasing second hand stores for glass cylinders and 12" dolls, I began to arrange them.
    After canvasing second hand stores for glass cylinders and 12" dolls, I began to arrange them.
  • A_New_Playing_Field

    "A New Playing Field" is an installation staging of "Barbie" 12" dolls on an acrylic mirror with a grid of Day-Glo tape to organize placement.  Each doll is in a glass cylinder.
    "A New Playing Field" is an installation staging of "Barbie" 12" dolls on an acrylic mirror with a grid of Day-Glo tape to organize placement. Each doll is in a glass cylinder. Collected from second hand stores, the dolls represent the universal social impact of Covid isolation during 2020.
  • Dolls_on_Grid

    With the bride and groom in close contact, life goes on with the other dolls socially distanced around them.
    With the bride and groom in close contact, life goes on with the other dolls socially distanced around them.
  • Dolls_in_the _dark

    When gallery lights are turned off, the Day-Glo grid is visible against the sparkling glass and mirror.
    When gallery lights are turned off, the Day-Glo grid is visible against the sparkling glass and mirror. I would like to do a second installation in a light controlled space. Day_Glo tape around the tops of cylinders and more mirror structures should result in variations on the dynamics of lightplay.
  • Dolls in Cylinders

    A varied group of 12" "Barbie" dolls are staged inside glass cylinders on a tape grid.
    A varied group of 12" "Barbie" dolls are staged inside glass cylinders on a tape grid. The installation on an acrylic mirror represents the social distancing imposed by the 2020 Covid pandemic.
  • "If" dolls

    Installed and awarded at Towson University in Sept 2012
  • "If Installation", May 2010

    Suspended from a metal grid with black lines, and backed by a series of shadow-like drawings, the puppets are part of a spatial installation that relates to the shadows cast on the wall.
  • Puppet Show

    This is an oil painting, 48" x 36", 2009, which was done simultaneously to the "If Installations"
  • Puppeteer

    My first puppet themed drawing is graphite on paper, 60" x 48", 1993.

the Gestural Figure

Whether or not we are conscious of activity with intent, the human body reveals us. The gestural, active figure mirrors the passions, successes, and failures of our experiences. My painting approach to bodily movement is with responsive contour and gesture brush strokes.
      Contemplating the resulting paintings often leads me to develop points of interest with heavier contour, more value range, color, and pattern. Diaphanous figures washed in color appear and disappear.  Wet shafts of color stream across bodies while form dissolves into the grids, numbers, and patterns that give visibility to surrounding spaces. 
       On the other hand, I may choose to retain the simplicity of the short study as a statement in itself.  Sensitive trails of brushwork may carry a message, the story of a person, the needs of daily existence, or any moment of life transition without elaboration.
 

  • NeonMan.jpg

    "Neon Man" is a "Superhero" who uses fire to form color and light. It is a watercolor painting developed from a gestural figure in 2019.  It is 28" x 20".
    "Neon Man" is a "Superhero" who uses fire to form color and light. It is a watercolor painting developed from a gestural figure in 2019. It is 28" x 20".
  • Marta_Spellbound.jpg

    "Spellbound" is a watercolor, 24" x 24", painted in 2018.  Its vividly feverish contours and cool, patterned ground transform gestural figures into a visually entwined unit.
    "Spellbound" is a watercolor, 24" x 24", painted in 2018. Its vividly feverish contours and cool, patterned ground transform gestural figures into a visually entwined unit. It portrays the intense attraction, not to be explained, that compels interaction of ultimate nature with another human being.
  • Dancing with Shadows.jpg

    "Dancing with Shadows" is watercolor, 30" h x 22" w, painted in 2018. It's hot contours and patterns are set in a cool ground.  The swirling figure is casting shadows or dancing with shadows.
    "Dancing with Shadows" is watercolor, 30" h x 22" w, painted in 2018. It's hot contours and patterns are set in a cool ground. The swirling figure is casting shadows or dancing with shadows. This could be someone dancing with youthful memories or memories of a special dance partner.
  • Dance_MartaD.jpg

    Gestural figure dancing in Mardi Gras like color and pattern.
    "Dance" is based on gestural brushwork, color and pattern to evoke the human energy of dance. It is a watercolor painting 15" x 22" completed in 2017.
  • Rapture.jpg

    Figures entangled in obsessive engagement.
    "Rapture" was started as an overlapping gestural figure painting in grayscale. Having run out of paper for the short poses, I superimposed one short, active pose over another. Contemplating the paper in the studio later I sorted out the obsessive involvement of several people. Are they fighting or loving? Is it one and the same?
  • Hunger.jpg

    "Hunger" is a dark watercolor with spare details, 22" h x 15" w, painted in 2018. The lean figure is extends an arm for something beyond reach.
    "Hunger" is a dark watercolor with spare details, 22" h x 15" w, painted in 2018. The lean figure is extends an arm for something beyond reach.
  • Rebirth.jpg

    "Rebirth" is a watercolor 22" h x 15" w, painted in 2018.  It portrays an agony of metamorphosis as the body is transformed into life beyond basic muscular structure.
    "Rebirth" is a watercolor 22" h x 15" w, painted in 2018. It portrays an agony of metamorphosis as the body is transformed into life beyond basic muscular structure.
  • Strength.jpg

    "Strength" is 22" h x 16" w, a watercolor done in 2018.  The position of the figure presents sure confidence which is emphasized by the few elaborations in the painting.
    "Strength" is 22" h x 16" w, a watercolor done in 2018. The position of the figure presents sure confidence which is emphasized by the few elaborations in the painting.
  • helper_72.jpg

    "Helper" is a 22" x 18" gestural figure painting from 2019, the emphasized arm reaches out with intent to offer help.
    "Helper" is a 22" x 18" gestural figure painting from 2019, the emphasized arm reaches out with intent to offer help.

Time Travellers

Through time, my paper boats have taken me on various "travels".
This has made me realize that time provides us with companions to travel with. Not always or not often family, our time companions come and go. We turn around and they have changed, come back from the past, lead toward a future, appear and disappear. It is a mystery how the sorting among people we share time's experiences with works.

  • Time_and_Tide

    "Time and Tide" is a 22"H x 30"W watercolor from which "Rembrandt in the Moon" overlooks the comings and goings of the tides of time.
    "Time and Tide" is a 22"H x 30"W watercolor from which "Rembrandt in the Moon" overlooks the comings and goings of the tides of time.
  • Time Travellers 1_2_3

     "Time Travelers 1, 2, 3", watercolor, 15" x11", 2013 The people we go through time with are ever changing
    "Time Travelers 1, 2, 3", watercolor, 15" x11", 2013 The people we go through time with are ever changing
  • Between Lives and Longings

    watercolor, 15" x22", 2013 Having won a Cubbison Memorial Exhibit Travel Award in Sept 2012 at Towson University, I began a Time Travelers series of artworks with this watercolor.
    watercolor, 15" x22", 2013 Having won a Cubbison Memorial Exhibit Travel Award in Sept 2012 at Towson University, I began a Time Travelers series of artworks with this watercolor.
  • MrSunshine.jpg

    Colorful, patterned dancing figure with clock faces surrounding his face.
    "Mr. Sunshine" is a time traveler who dances to so many beats that he can't keep track of where he is. It is a watercolor painted in 2017, 22" high by 15" wide.
  • Travelers4.jpg

    Colorful, patterned painting of 3 figures with a clock face superimposed.
    "Travelers 4" is a watercolor painted in 2017 as part of the "Time Travelers" series. It is 12" by 12"
  • Time Travellers 12, watercolor, 2014

    A watercolor 15" x 15" this is part of the Time Traveler series Movement of the hands of time are written about in the painting
    A watercolor 15" x 15" this is part of the Time Traveler series Movement of the hands of time are written about in the painting
  • One_Zero.jpg

    "One_Zero" is a watercolor, 24" h x 18" w, painted in 2018. Colorful figures dissolve into pattern and color energy. There is a large time piece behind them.
    "One_Zero" is a watercolor, 24" h x 18" w, painted in 2018. Colorful figures dissolve into pattern and color energy. There is a large time piece behind them.
  • Rage

    "Rage" is a 6"H x 21" watercolor that explores speculation about what people do with their internal rage. Painted in vivid colors
    "Rage" is a 6"H x 21" watercolor that explores speculation about what people do with their internal rage. Painted in vivid colors it looks playful at first, but upon inspection it reveals weapons and anger--the influence of graphic novels.
  • "What Do You Wish"

    Other side of "hula hoop quilt" self-portrait. Fabric and collected memorabilia, quilted and supported on hula hoop.  Nov 2013
    Other side of "hula hoop quilt" self-portrait. Fabric and collected memorabilia, quilted and supported on hula hoop. Nov 2013 Starting with the nursery rhyme "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" I quilted my family origins on the other side of this quilt and continued through my adult life to the present on the this side. "What do You Wish" as if "the old moon asked" the "time travelers".
  • Where do you come from?

    Front side of "hula hoop quilt" self-portrait. Fabric and collected memorabilia, quilted and supported on hula hoop.  Nov 2013
    Front side of "hula hoop quilt" self-portrait. Fabric and collected memorabilia, quilted and supported on hula hoop. Nov 2013 Starting with the nursery rhyme "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" I quilted my family origins on this side of the quilt and continued through my adult life to the present on the other side. "What do You Wish" as if "the old moon asked".

Mixed Media in 2019

My visual narrative usually begins with watercolor and acrylic paints.  This year the use of block printing and rice paper layering have been an exploration in building multiple ideas simultaneously.  Acrylic mediums work well bonding varied papers in low relief on paper, board, or canvas.

  • Marta_DreamersHouse.jpg

    "A Little Music" is 12" x 12", mixed media, 2019.  In very busy lives it evokes the time taken as respite with a little music.
    "Dreamer's House" is 16" x 20" mixed media on cradled board, 2019. My father was career military and my mother's constant dream was our own house in one small town. I carried the dream forward.
  • Fishbowl

    "Fishbowl" is a watercolor painting 20" x 24", mixed media on 300 lb watercolor paper, 2019. The fish is painted on rice paper and bonded to the surface with acrylic matte medium.  Th"Fishbowl" is a watercolor painting 20" x 24", mixed media on 300 lb wat
    "Fishbowl" is a watercolor painting 20" x 24", mixed media on 300 lb watercolor paper, 2019. The fish is painted on rice paper and bonded to the surface with acrylic matte medium. There is a person painted on rice paper looking at the fish? or is the fish looking at the person?
  • Marta_Music2.jpg

    "A Little Music" is 12" x 12", mixed media, 2019.  In very busy lives it evokes the time taken as respite with a little music.
    "A Little Music" is 12" x 12", mixed media, 2019. In very busy lives it evokes the time taken as respite with a little music.
  • Marta_BigSplash.jpg

    "Big Splash" is mixed media on canvas board 20" x16, 2019. The fluidity and movement of fish and water are dominant. Is that a human making the "Big Splash?"
    "Big Splash" is mixed media on canvas board 20" x16, 2019. The fluidity and movement of fish and water are dominant. Is that a human making the "Big Splash?"
  • fish_1.jpg

    "Fish_1" is 8" x 8" mixed media on cradled board, 2019. The circling fish and water create a playful visual movement.
    "Fish_1" is 8" x 8" mixed media on cradled board, 2019. The circling fish and water create a playful visual movement.
  • Marta_fish2.jpg

    "Fish_2" is part of an 8" x 8" series of mixed media works on cradled board, 2019. Play  of color and movement provide a light moment.
    "Fish_2" is part of an 8" x 8" series of mixed media works on cradled board, 2019. Play of color and movement provide a light moment.
  • Seashine.jpg

    Part of the playful fish series, "Seashine" is 8" x 8" mixed media on cradled board, 2019.
    Part of the playful fish series, "Seashine" is 8" x 8" mixed media on cradled board, 2019.
  • Marta_JackInBox.jpg

    "Jack_In_The_Box" is 8" x 8" mixed media: oil on canvas, acrylic on cradled board and green wire, 2018. Jack is looking out from an enclosed space
    "Jack_In_The_Box" is 8" x 8" mixed media: oil on canvas, acrylic on cradled board and green wire, 2018. Jack is looking out from an enclosed space
  • Marta_pocket.jpg

    "Back Pocket" is mixed media with graphite text, 10" x 10", denim pocket on board, 2019. The stream of consciousness writing about empty pocket and the casual materials used evoke a youthful outlook on life.
    "Back Pocket" is mixed media with graphite text, 10" x 10", denim pocket on board, 2019. The stream of consciousness writing about empty pocket and the casual materials used evoke a youthful outlook on life.
  • season1.jpg

    "Season 1" is a 5" x 7" mixed media work, 2019, that brings the winter season.
    "Season 1" is a 5" x 7" mixed media work, 2019, that brings the winter season.

Paper Boat Projects

PAPER BOAT PROJECTS: I recycle the pages of current, mainstream art magazines by folding them into paper boats and signing the bow. This gives them new identity as artifacts. Grouped on a gallery floor they seem to indicate a current. On an acrylic mirror they are reflected as if in water.
Wall art that I have drawn and painted referencing the boats can be installed with the boat arrangements on acrylic mirrors. This challenges spatial boundaries visually as the wall art reflects around the boats. When the mirror is placed on the floor with paper boats suspended in a grid above it, movement and a new set of spatial experiences are provided.
Viewers are invited to take a boat and/or make a boat. As this changes the arrangement on the mirror, the viewers become participants in the project design.

  • Regatta

    365 Paper Boats folded from old arts magazines, installed over flea market found mirrors.
    365 Paper Boats folded from old arts magazines, installed over flea market found mirrors. Juried into exhibit at Towson University in Sept 2012, It was granted a travel award. It was juried into the Pinkard Gallery for Artscape 2015
  • Detail from "Crossing the River"

    A bright orange boat with an eye
    A very close up view of a detail of "Crossing the River". The "Eye Boat" is used as a character in my animation work. It is part of the painting "Mainstreams".
  • "Currents"

    First installed in May of 2008, the 40" x 25" graphite on paper drawing was based on the paper boats which were then included in the installation on an acrylic mirror 8'long and 30" wide. Viewers were invited to take a boat, thus participating in the visual arrangement of the installation. Of course, more boats were then added.
  • Bottom Feeders

    watercolor on paper, 53" x40", 2013
  • 100 Boat Current

    This installation was juried into "ART MD" at the Howard County Center for Arts in Dec 2012 and awarded in the exhibit.
  • Mainstream, Installation

    Brightly colored oil painting with paper boat installation
    "Mainstream"first installed in October 2009, has two oil paintings ("Boat House", 36" x 36" and "Crossing the River", 36" x 48") installed above the 8' by 30" acrylic mirror with paper boat arrangement. It was juried into exhibit and awarded at Towson University in Sept 2012
  • Boathouse

    As you face the "Mainstream" installation, "Boathouse" is the 36" x 36" oil painting on the left side. It was completed in October 2009. It was juried into exhibit and awarded at Towson University in Sept 2012
  • 100 Boat Current

    This installation of paper boats was created in July 2012 for Artscape 2012 at CCBC Catonsville
  • Maelstrom Installation, folded paper boats, tomato tent, and mirror, shown at Towson University in 2014

    Recycling art magazines, I use the ancient art of paper folding to transform pages into paper boats.  Combined with tomato tents and a mirror, they create a maelstrom of confusion in this installation which is 11 feet high and ten feet in diameter. For me
    Recycling art magazines, I use the ancient art of paper folding to transform pages into paper boats. Combined with tomato tents and a mirror, they create a maelstrom of confusion in this installation which is 11 feet high and ten feet in diameter. For me this confusion alludes to the global condition.
  • Maelstrom detail

    Shadows on the wall and movement of some of the boats give an extension and liveliness to the Maelstrom Installation at the Howard County Center for the Arts in December of 2014
    Shadows on the wall and movement of some of the boats give an extension and liveliness to the Maelstrom Installation at the Howard County Center for the Arts in December of 2014

Reflection

Filming video in museums and galleries, then showing them in galleries or museums, simulates the timelessness and similarity of the museum/gallery experience.
Viewers think they are seeing "live feed".

  • Video in Gallery Exhibit at Towson University

    The video, Reflection, is placed in the gallery among Diana Marta's paintings at Towson University in June of 2014
    The video, Reflection, is placed in the gallery among Diana Marta's paintings at Towson University in June of 2014
  • Still from video Reflection

    The feet on the shiny museum floor give viewers a sense of live feed, which emphasizes the timeless quality of museum viewing.
    The feet on the shiny museum floor give viewers a sense of live feed, which emphasizes the timeless quality of museum viewing. Do you see the Giacometti?
  • Reflection-3 and a half minute continuous loop video

    Filmed in Nov 2012 at Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The people are random, unidentified museum goers. The sequence is edited by Diana Marta. Do you see the one permanent pair of feet that belong to a Giacometti sculpture? Filming video in museums and galleries, then showing them in galleries or museums, simulates the timelessness and similarity of the museum/gallery experience. Viewers think they are seeing "live feed".
  • Still from Reflection video

    A still from the video reflection which was filmed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The video presents the sameness of museum and gallery experiences. In fact, viewers look to see if they are on live feed.

Ordinary Woman Installation

I proposed, curated, and participated in this installation, inviting 14 artists to interpret the lives of ordinary women. We each provided a 16"x16" self portrait for the wall as well as a garment for a vintage mannikin I named "Evelyn Everywoman"

  • Sharon King with her self portrait box to be hung on the wall

    Sharon King represented her various self personae  within a box that could be opened.
    Sharon King represented her various self personae within a box that could be opened.
  • Hagar's Dress by Oletha DeVane

    Oletha DeVane translated the Biblical story of Hagar's struggles in the wilderness by making her garment with barbed wire and chains.
    Oletha DeVane translated the Biblical story of Hagar's struggles in the wilderness by making her garment with barbed wire and chains.
  • Diana Marta with Case of Identity

    Each artist in the Ordinary Woman Installation hung a self portrait no larger than 16" x 16" on the wall.  Diana Marta painted her acrylic self-portrait on a vintage wooden paintbox.The paint peeling effect on the box represents an active life well lived.
    Each artist in the Ordinary Woman Installation hung a self portrait no larger than 16" x 16" on the wall. Diana Marta painted her acrylic self-portrait on a vintage wooden paintbox.The paint peeling effect on the box represents an active life well lived.
  • Lucky Dress with Wishbone Necklace

    Made of losing lottery tickets sewed together, this is the Lucky Dress by Diana Marta. Whatever its social or cultural implications, the Lucky Dress is meant to be worn when one wishes for things to go well. It is accessorized by a chicken wishbone necklace.
  • Composite of garments installed

    This composite shows a number of the garments installed in the gallery
  • Lorraine Imwold installing

    The garments for Miss Evelyn were all hung at the same height from the ceiling. It was at the height of Miss Evelyn. The self portraits were then visible as if there were new garments for each angle the self portrait could be seen.
  • Measuring-Gif Animation, Click twice

    Lorraine Imwold is measuring Miss Evelyn while Sharon King is working in the background. You can see the animation if you click twice.
  • Diana Marta, Evelyn Everywoman, Nicole Buckingham

    Measuring the mannikin named Evelyn Everywoman was just the beginning. Each artist created a garment with meaning to her own life. The garments are a size that would fit the mannikin.
  • Evie 3, watercolor by Diana Marta

    Evie 3 is one of the watercolors Diana Marta painted for the invitation to Ordinary Woman Collaborative Installation Exhibit.
  • Invitation for Ordinary Woman Installation, images by Diana Marta, space and text design by Nicole Buckingham

    Compositing watercolor images and a photo of the mannikin called Evelyn Everywoman, Diana gave the image to Nicole Buckingham who arranged the image and text to design the invitation to the Ordinary Woman Collaboratove Installation. The fifteen participants are named in the invitation and may have their own Baker site.

Women's Themes

Women's concerns have been ongoing themes in my drawing, painting, and now in my digital work.

They include a one minute gif animation translated digitally as a continuous loop:
I can recall blotting lipstick ever since I was a girl sneaking a chance to try my mother's colors. "Just A Minute" is the brief, repeated gesture of women applying uncountable numbers of repetitions for a lifetime.
More recently, in Jan 2014, I proposed, curated, and participated in "Ordinary Woman" Installation at Howard Co Arts Center (see above)

  • DoublePeople

    "Double People", watercolor, 2016, 15" x 20", upside down or right side up? Are we multiple people?
    "Double People", watercolor, 2016, 15" x 20", upside down or right side up? Are we multiple people?
  • Mannekins_B.jpg

    "Mannequins" is a graphite drawing 15" x 9" from 2016. Even the placement of the dress models have heirarchy.
    "Mannequins" is a graphite drawing 15" x 9" from 2016. Even the placement of the dress models have heirarchy.
  • "If only I could dance", 2010

    Detail from "IF" installation of puppets made with recycled 12" dolls, accompanied by a group of shadow-like drawings.  10' x 16' x 3'.  Acrylic mirrors are used, too.
    Detail from "IF" installation of puppets made with recycled 12" dolls, accompanied by a group of shadow-like drawings. 10' x 16' x 3'. Acrylic mirrors are used, too. "If" challenges our expectations and aspirations of "looking like a doll". My face is on this puppet, and some others. There are small mirrors on other puppets of both genders.
  • Muse

    In this oil my gray, masked, studio "muse" is haloed by the color wheel and surrounded by chairs. Her mask reflects the puzzling feelings that go along with getting older.
    "Muse" Oil painting, 48" x 36", 2005. In this oil my gray, masked, studio "muse" is haloed by the color wheel and surrounded by chairs. Her mask reflects the puzzling feelings that go along with getting older.
  • Role Models

    "Little Me", excerpted from an early family photo, is surrounded by the role models of my generation which are usually the male view of the ideal for women.
    Digital Print (dye-sublimation) 8" x 10" "Little Me", excerpted from an early family photo, is surrounded by the role models of my generation which are usually the male view of the ideal for women.
  • Mind Map

    Digital image, size variable, 2008.
    Digital image, size variable, 2008.
  • Hiding/Reaching

    From feeling faceless, nameless, to following aspirations, which women get the "golden eggs" or, who drops the "apple of Eve"?
    Watercolor painting, 36" x 48", 2000. From feeling faceless, nameless, to following aspirations, which women get the "golden eggs" or, who drops the "apple of Eve"?
  • Monitor Still from "Just A Minute"

    "Just a Minute" was installed as a continuous loop DVD in May of 2010. You can see the one minute movie at the Animation page of my web site http://dianamarta.com
  • Still from "Just A Minute"

    When do little girls start to think about lipstick--red, orange, pink, purple, neutral? This frame exemplifies my oil painting/ digital interactions. You can see the one minute movie on the Animation page of my web site at: http://dianamarta.com
  • Just A Minute

    I can recall blotting lipstick ever since I was a girl sneaking a chance to try my mother's colors. "Just A Minute" is the brief, repeated gesture of women applying lipstick casually, as ritual, discreetly, provocatively in uncountable numbers of repetitions for a lifetime.

Chairs

Chairs are objects that can convey varied meanings when included in drawings and paintings. In my work they are metaphors for people and sometimes represent me. Active surfaces and layered meanings allow interpretation of chair situations as personal narratives.

The vintage chairs from my family history remind me of the people with whom I shared them. The flea market found chairs can become surfaces for art making or be arranged as installation elements.

  • Audience, installed 2009

    "Audience" is a group of chairs assembled as place for people to sit, to see, and to be part of an exhibit. After chairs are arranged, faux cast shadows of them are painted on the floor in a value slightly different from the floor. People sitting in the chairs are surprised that their own shadows are not part of the floor shadows. It is as if the people, not the chairs, are ghosts.
  • History Chair

    Transforming an ordinary chair into an artifact with surface text, I realized that history furniture for me is closely tied to memories of the people with whom I shared the furniture.
  • Yellow Chair

    Oil painting, 48"x36", this was completed in 2006.
  • Shadow and Light

    Watercolor painting, 22" x 15", March 2010. The chair and the shadow metaphorically represent the gradual passing of a dear, elderly friend and mentor.
  • Still Life

    Watercolor 15" x 22", 2009. Shape, pattern, and play with a chair included.
  • Time to Read

    Graphite on paper drawing, 25" x 40", 2009. The vintage chair in the foreground had been my grandmother's, then my mother's. It alludes to the passing of time. A friend is almost transparent as reading transports her away from her physical self.
  • Leaving Eden

    Mixed media on paper, 60" x 96". The chair in the lower foreground and the yellow door layer the meanings of domestic Eden.
  • Muse

    Oil painting, 48" x 36", completed in 2005, this was a "color wheel" play on the props and patterns in my studio.
  • Puppet Show

    Oil painting, 48" x 36", this narrative was finished in late 2009, complete with an audience of chairs.
  • Coming and Going

    Oil painting, 48"x36", completed in July of 2007, it was included in the Maryland State Arts Council 40th Anniversary Exhibit. I wanted to paint with red and this reflection on changing generations evolved.