SHARON — Martha Hayden, modernist painter and printmaker, known for annual Open
Studio Exhibitions since the 1960s, will host her final public studio this month.
The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19-10, 2024 from noon to 5 p.m., at
her Studio-home 143 Prairie St. Sharon, Wisconsin.
Hayden has been recognized over decades for her accomplishments and continues to earn
recognition for her work. In her final public studio event, Hayden will spotlight her newest work; colorful large figurative canvases and viscosity collagraphs.
Hayden, long known for her paintings, describes her style as “both realistic and abstract; it is on that elusive edge between there and not there.” In her newest figurative paintings, Hayden’s bold brushwork
and striking colors explore a new way of conveying how she views her subjects; with edges defined but not fixed. Hayden explains “I try not to see anything for itself alone, but as a part of the whole.”
Though Hayden, as an artist, may see the world differently, she continues to capture the essence of subjects without relying on the literal. Her newest work is a fresh comment on how we see our world as both perceived and remembered though the lens of our experience. With 60 years of
accomplished painting, visitors to her open studio will also be treated to select paintings from the span of her career.
This year Hayden won Best in Show at Lakefront Festival of Art in Milwaukee for her Printmaking. When she lived in New York, Hayden joined the vibrant printmaking scene surrounding the West Side Blackburn
Printmaking Shop and took to experimentation; pioneering new techniques.
Today, Hayden excels at combining printmaking disciplines to create what she calls “viscosity collagraphs;” using inks and colors of varying thicknesses to print multiple colors from a single plate. With this novel technique, the way the inks blend on each print is unique; making the reveal of each print all the more exciting.
