I'm Marietta.

I love to draw, paint, sew, spend time with my husband and three kids, snuggle my cat Penny and read books. Most of the time though you'll find me in a classroom teaching teenagers. I'm passionate about the environment and work at considering this in the choices I make as an artist and a creator. Connected to this is my desire to be knowledgeable, understanding and respectful of the land I am on, the land of the First Nations of Australia.

 

I'm a non-traditional watercolour artist. Although I do paint some of the more traditional soft, washed out loose watercolours I prefer to saturate my brush and paint realistic representations on dry paper. I particularly like life drawing with pencil or ink and enjoy attempting these in watercolour. Touching up ink drawings with watercolour is another way I like to make my art.

 

The motif, images and  patterns I paint or draw are then created into surface designs. I love contrast and you'll notice that my design are often bright and use complementary colours.

 

One of my earliest and favourite memories is learning to sew. I was also allowed to potter in my dad's shed, he was a carpenter and showed me how to use a range of tools. Some of the very first things I ever made were doll's clothes that I sewed and furniture that I hammered together and then upholstered with sewn, glued and nailed  fabrics. This was my way to play. And I still love it. 

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Creating surface designs also combines my areas of higher education through using pattern and space to create a narrative which links in to my work as a secondary school mathematics and English teacher. I further celebrate my love of pattern, geometry and contrast through putting these fabrics together in quilted products.

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Please be in touch if you have any collaboration, commission, licensing or art enquiries.

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