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Martha Armstrong

New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson

May 2 - 23, 2024

Selected Works Thumbnails
Colors Of Sunset  8" x 10"  Oil On Board

Colors Of Sunset

8" x 10"

Oil On Board

Inquire
Early Fall I  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Early Fall I

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Fall Orchard  30" x 48"  Oil On Canvas

Fall Orchard

30" x 48"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Fall Study II  11" x 16"   Oil On Canvas

Fall Study II 

11" x 16" 

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
February Sunset  9" x 18"  Oil On Canvas

February Sunset

9" x 18"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Governor Dick's Woods I  14" x 11"  Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods I

14" x 11"

Oil On Board

Inquire
Governor Dick's Woods II  14" x 11"  Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods II

14" x 11"

Oil On Board

Inquire
Governor Dick's Woods III  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Woods III (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Governor Dick's Pond I  14" x 11"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond I

14" x 11"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Governor Dick's Pond II  16" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond II

16" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Governor Dick's Pond III  14" x 11"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond III

14" x 11"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Late August  28" x 36"   Oil On Canvas

Late August

28" x 36" 

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Late Summer I  15" x 21"  Oil On Canvas

Late Summer I (SOLD)

15" x 21"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Late Sun  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Late Sun

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Maples Fall I  11" x 14"  Oil On Board

Maples Fall I (SOLD)

11" x 14"

Oil On Board

Inquire
Morning Study - Vermont  8" x 10"  Oil On Board

Morning Study - Vermont (SOLD)

8" x 10"

Oil On Board

Inquire
Mt. Gretna Lake I  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Mt. Gretna Lake I (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Mt. Gretna Lake II  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Mt. Gretna Lake II

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Palo Verde And Mesquite I  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite I

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Palo Verde And Mesquite II  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite II

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Summer Afternoon, Vermont  18" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Summer Afternoon, Vermont

18" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Sunset  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Sunset

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Sunset - Lights On  8" x 13"  Oil On Canvas

Sunset - Lights On

8" x 13"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Toward Sunset I  25" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset I

25" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Toward Sunset II  25" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset II

25" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Tucson - Clouds And Blue  8" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson - Clouds And Blue (SOLD)

8" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Tucson Early Spring  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson Early Spring (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Tucson Landscape - Dark Clouds  12" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson Landscape - Dark Clouds

12" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Two Trees - Green  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Green

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Two Trees - Yellow  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Yellow

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Vermont, December I  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December I

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Vermont, December II  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December II 

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Colors Of Sunset  8" x 10"  Oil On Board

Colors Of Sunset

8" x 10"

Oil On Board

Early Fall I  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Early Fall I

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Fall Orchard  30" x 48"  Oil On Canvas

Fall Orchard

30" x 48"

Oil On Canvas

Fall Study II  11" x 16"   Oil On Canvas

Fall Study II 

11" x 16" 

Oil On Canvas

February Sunset  9" x 18"  Oil On Canvas

February Sunset

9" x 18"

Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Woods I  14" x 11"  Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods I

14" x 11"

Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods II  14" x 11"  Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods II

14" x 11"

Oil On Board

Governor Dick's Woods III  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Woods III (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond I  14" x 11"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond I

14" x 11"

Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond II  16" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond II

16" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond III  14" x 11"  Oil On Canvas

Governor Dick's Pond III

14" x 11"

Oil On Canvas

Late August  28" x 36"   Oil On Canvas

Late August

28" x 36" 

Oil On Canvas

Late Summer I  15" x 21"  Oil On Canvas

Late Summer I (SOLD)

15" x 21"

Oil On Canvas

Late Sun  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Late Sun

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Maples Fall I  11" x 14"  Oil On Board

Maples Fall I (SOLD)

11" x 14"

Oil On Board

Morning Study - Vermont  8" x 10"  Oil On Board

Morning Study - Vermont (SOLD)

8" x 10"

Oil On Board

Mt. Gretna Lake I  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Mt. Gretna Lake I (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Mt. Gretna Lake II  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Mt. Gretna Lake II

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite I  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite I

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite II  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Palo Verde And Mesquite II

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Summer Afternoon, Vermont  18" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Summer Afternoon, Vermont

18" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

Sunset  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Sunset

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Sunset - Lights On  8" x 13"  Oil On Canvas

Sunset - Lights On

8" x 13"

Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset I  25" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset I

25" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset II  25" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Toward Sunset II

25" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Tucson - Clouds And Blue  8" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson - Clouds And Blue (SOLD)

8" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

Tucson Early Spring  28" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson Early Spring (SOLD)

28" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Tucson Landscape - Dark Clouds  12" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Tucson Landscape - Dark Clouds

12" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Green  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Green

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Yellow  40" x 40"  Oil On Canvas

Two Trees - Yellow

40" x 40"

Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December I  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December I

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December II  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Vermont, December II 

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

“Nature is the inspiration, something to hang on to, to put my feet on the ground.”

- Martha Armstrong

Martha Armstrong - New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Fall Orchard, 30″ x 48″, Oil On Canvas

Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Martha Armstrong’s recent works in New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson. A lifelong devotee of the natural world and the art of painting, Armstrong has honed her distinct perspective, and style of formal expression, through her decades-long practice. This compelling collection of landscape paintings features Armstrong’s favorite muses such as trees, sunsets, clouds, and water from her oft visited and most cherished locales.

Armstrong’s paintings relate to American modernists such as Milton Avery, Arthur Garfield Dove, and Charles Burchfield, yet remain strikingly original and fresh. Her compositions are carefully constructed and feature her signature, sometimes interlocking, shape-based similitudes. She explains, “Abstract painting fascinates me. But in the end, I want something specific from the world I see.”

Martha Armstrong - New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Vermont, December I, 48″ x 60″, Oil On Canvas

Rather than capturing individual leaves or blades of grass, Armstrong focuses on the dynamic fluctuations of color and light she observes in her landscapes. She also likes to paint a subject over and over, noting, “I paint what is available. I don’t think of past paintings when I begin a new painting. I look at the landscape as it is that day. It is enough to concentrate on that and it will be different in the afternoon––and the next day––and next week or whenever I get back to it.” This patient approach can span days, weeks, or longer, and as the landscape itself changes, she updates the painting to reflect newly observed visual relationships. She builds up layers of paint and scrapes them away, continuing this pattern until every fragmented, richly detailed part relates to the whole. Colors and forms shift, reflecting a series of complex movements and rhythms, until the painting comes together. Through this process, she deftly conjures familiar, dynamic moments such as swirling leaves in the wind, flickering sunlight on branches, and the vivid hues that emanate from the setting desert sun.

Largely inspired by natural landscapes, Armstrong states, “I have always loved being outside: Taking a back road to school, wandering in woods near our house, exploring lumberjack roads near my grandmother’s summer cottage in Michigan. There was so much to learn—trees, plants, birds, animals—all alive. How to translate that huge moving space onto a canvas has always fascinated me.” She continues, “I look to anyone for ideas, examples I admire. But the need is to find your own voice. A hard thing to do. I must paint my truth.” Her latest works assuredly reflect both her fascination and her truth, while also conveying the mastery gained from her earnest and long-standing engagement with painting her beloved landscape scenes.

Martha Armstrong - New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Martha Armstrong has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums across the United States. Her exhibitions have received press coverage in Art in America, The New York Times, The New Yorker and Philadelphia Inquirer as well as many magazines, blogs, books, and catalogs. Many prestigious public institutions have acquired her works including The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, The Free Library of Philadelphia, Allentown Art Museum and colleges, banks, schools, and offices across the country. She is a visiting instructor and critic, most recently teaching at Mt. Gretna School of Art in Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania, and the International Center for the Arts in Montecastello di Vibio, Italy. She lives and works between West Dummerston, Vermont and Tucson, Arizona.

Image Right: Morning Study - Vermont, 8″ x 10″, Oil On Board

Martha Armstrong - New Paintings: Vermont, Mt. Gretna, Tucson - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Palo Verde And Mesquite II, 40″ x 40″, Oil On Canvas

~Exhibition Preview~

May 2 - 23, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 4, 1 - 4 pm