Winter Painting: Martha Markowsky comments

Snow and winter, my favourite season and reason for painting. In winter the leaves
have left the trees thus exposing the hidden treasures which cannot be seen during summer. Houses with balconies, laundry outdoors, staircases. Also, the "whites" of winter add high contrasts that cannot usually see in summer. Although most people relate to snow as white, as an artist I see a complete rainbow of colours in the snow.....gentle yellows, soft peach, lovely mauves and blues and then there are the shadows leading the eye throughout a painting, patterns dancing over the mounds of
snow.

Painting outdoors does present the challenge, working quickly before the fingers freeze, capturing nature without getting too complicated....a spontaneous happening, not much time for playing in the paint. This will happen later in the studio.

And the studio. Winter keeps me indoors painting when I am not doing plein air. The song "lazy days of summer" ..... and that's what it is and I will find any and every excuse to go outside, but winter keeps me at the easel, finishing paintings started outdoors. There is the rush to capture as much as possible before the snow melts and the whites turn to browns.

Martha Markowsky,
January 2009
Bottom right photo - Martha sketching on her paper placemat while dining in a restaurant. Photo at left is new winter painting, "Down the Lane."



Martha Markowsky is an accomplished artist well known for her impressionistic paintings of orchestral musical ensembles with brightly coloured depictions of tuxeoded musicians. Other painting subjects include her vibrant nostalgic cityscapes of children at play in old Quebec neighbourhoods, and introspective bar room scenes. She teaches classes in oils and acrylics and conducts workshops in the Charlevoix region. Martha Markowsky recently received the Award of Excellence in the Arts for 2008 from the City of Lachine in recognition of her achievements in art. Martha Markowsky is a highly respected and highly collected Canadian artist and elected member of the Society of Canadian artists (SCA), with works in many prominent private and corporate collections across Canada.