Martha Smith

I was born in Cuba, raised in New York City, and now paint from my studio in South Florida. That movement between places shows up in the work more than any single subject does. Landscapes I've walked through as I travel, colors, shapes and movements I remember, and moments find their way into the paintings, not as literal scenes but as undercurrents. Art gives me freedom, and childlike fun.

I work in acrylic and mixed media, building each piece in layers and letting the surface tell me what it needs next. My process is intuitive, and I've come to love the rawness that it leaves behind. It's close to what the Japanese call wabi-sabi, finding beauty in what's imperfect.

I am not trying to tell the viewer what to feel or see. I am interested in how color, mark, and surface can carry meaning on their own, without explanation. A painting finishes differently for every person who stands in front of it. That is the point. Everyone has a different perspective of life because we all experience it differently even when given the same circumstances.

I paint to create openness, not answers. Every piece is an invitation.

Boca Raton Museum of Art School, continuing studies in painting.

Independent study with artists including Cat Tesla, Sally Cooper, Edie Lampanosa, Jodie King...

Art 21, Wilton Manors, FL
Broward County Library, Weston, FL
Plunge Hotel, Fort Lauderdale FL
Shabui, Weston, FL
Broward Art Guild, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Wilton Art Works Gallery-Wilton Manors, FL