Join the Bainbridge Public Library for the March 2023 First Friday Art Walk, featuring artist Martha Rogers

The Bainbridge Public Library is dedicated to spreading the joy of reading and the discovery of ideas with not just our local community, but with visitors from near and afar. In addition, the library is fortunate to house beautiful local works of art both inside and outside the building. Each month the library celebrates a local artist (or artists) with an exhibit, which opens monthly on the Island’s First Friday Art Walk tour, and includes a reception hosted by the featured artist.

The Bainbridge Public Library is proud to present an exhibit by artist Martha Rogers 

Martha will host a “meet and greet” from 5pm-7pm on Friday, March 3, 2023 to open her new exhibit, “At Play” for First Friday Art Walk 

Martha Rogers and her husband, Kevin moved to Bainbridge Island in 2000, and for the next 18 years, Martha continued to pursue her career as an architect in Seattle. Although she found designing livable spaces rewarding, she wanted a change. “I decided to pursue a long-time passion of drawing and painting,” she said. She enrolled in the Mark Kane O’Higgins Atelier course at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, where she focused on figurative drawing and painting, “After working in architecture it was such a treat to draw and paint the human figure,” she explained. “I think the challenge of capturing people both physically and emotionally will be a lifelong pursuit.”

Martha works out of her north facing light-filled studio, which was a former storage building on her property that her husband transformed into a spacious artist retreat. “For me ‘the island’ has been an oasis especially during the pandemic,” she said. “When I’m not painting, I’m often in our garden or volunteering at Bloedel Reserve.” Using watercolor paint, she draws on light and energy to create brightly painted scenes, drawing out the expressions and characters of her subjects. She also enjoys working with charcoal, ink and pastels.

Last year, she completed portraits of several Bloedel Reserve gardeners, which was then transformed into a beautiful 2023 calendar, and is available at the Reserve’s gift shop.

Martha’s exhibit focuses primarily on children playing in different locations with family, friends and animals. As she noted in her BPL artist statement, “I am especially drawn to children playing and can watch their antics for hours. Children seem to have endless amounts of energy, optimism and creativity. To me play is invigorating and much more than exercise; it’s exploring, discovering, make believing and even risk taking. Whether it’s playing with a sibling, school friend, favorite pet or in a backyard tree it’s time spent discovering the world around us. The rewards of play with one another cannot be replaced by a video game or zoom call.”

Martha grew up in Toronto, Canada and fondly recalls her happy childhood, playing in the large park across from her home, or exploring the nearby ravine and abandoned quarry and brickworks from early morning until it was time to return home for dinner. These fond memories inspire her paintings, and reconnect her adult self to her inner child.

On opening night at the library, Martha will also have tea towels with a variety of watercolors printed on them for sale, and 25% of anything sold during March will go to the library.

If you’d like to learn more about Martha and her work, visit her website at: Martha Rogers Art

Martha’s exhibit is available for viewing and sale at the Bainbridge Public Library throughout the month of March. The exhibit will be available during regular library hours.  For more information, please see the library website, www.bainbridgepubliclibrary.org.

As always, thank you for supporting your Bainbridge Public Library and local artists. If you have interest in exhibiting your work, feel free to contact Linda Meier, art coordinator, at lindameier2000@gmail.com

***Content and images provided by Linda Meier, Bainbridge Public Library and Martha Rogers

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