The art of Martha Rea Baker has been included in over 75 invitational and group exhibitions, including Watercolors Without Boundaries in Milan, Italy in 2001.
The light, color and texture of Baker’s paintings live in a dream world between landscape and abstraction. The viewer steps into her misty, mysterious environments that entices one to make personal discoveries layer by layer.
Baker’s art has also garnered attention from major art publications such as Southwest Art: “Women in the Arts” November, 1996 and Watercolor, March 1998. Splash V, the Best of Watercolor, the Glory of Color, features her painting, “Stage of Antiquity.”
In addition, Baker’s paintings have been selected for many private and corporate collections including Wyndham Hotel, Albuquerque, NM, Embassy Suites, St. Paul, NM, Hilton Hotel, Columbia, MD, Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, Plano, TX and North Texas Cardiology Associates, Dallas, TX.
She has studied art at the University of Dallas and printmaking at Collin County Community College, and has studied abroad in Greece, Italy, Russia, France and Mexico.
Martha Rea Baker is a signature member of the Mississippi Watercolor Society and The Southwestern Watercolor Society.
Having painted for 35 years, Martha is now working in acrylic collage, printmaking and encaustics (melted beeswax, fused with heat). She enjoys a variety of subjects from landscapes and abstracts to contemporary collages using personal photographs.
Martha Rea Baker was raised in Clinton, MS and attended the University of Mississippi for three years before marrying and
graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in 1965. Martha lived in Plano, TX
with her husband, Jackson native, Bill Baker, and their three sons for 40 years before retiring to Santa Fe, NM in December of 2006.
Artist Statement:
My recent move to Santa Fe in December of 2006 has influenced my work through texture and light. Although I don’t usually
paint southwestern subjects, I am intrigued by the rich history and culture of the area and enjoy developing my paintings and collages with multiple layers. My personal vision is revealed through subtle textures inviting discovery. The process becomes a metaphor for “life”. All of our past experiences, one building upon the other like the layers on the canvas, weave a rich tapestry. My wish is to engage and challenge the viewer to discover the veiled mysteries.