Martha Goetz

I paint because it is my nature to create, and that is all I ever wanted to do.

As a child growing up in Oklahoma City, I got to know great western paintings in the collection at the Cowboy Hall of Fame.  I remember first seeing William R. Leigh’s monumental painting, “The Leader’s Downfall”, and knowing that I wanted to be an artist. 

My first creative attempts were sculpting animals out of any material I could find, (after recently moving into my childhood home I discovered some of these early works rendered from bars of soap).  Throughout my career I created still life objects and references for my paintings. If I couldn’t find the subjects I envisioned for a painting, I had to make them, so I learned taxidermy, wood carving, bronze casting, photography, etc. to make my own subject matter.

As a teenager I discovered oil painting and printmaking at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, where high school students were taught by artists like Fritz Scholder.  Inspired by that experience, I decided to further my education with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma.

As luck would have it, I married a fellow painter, and we have shared our love of art for decades together.  We enjoyed painting careers in Europe for ten years before moving back to the United States tin 2006. With a return to life in the Southwest, there is endless subject matter for inspiration.

Whether painting a person, place or thing, my favorite subject is the individual. Through art I hope to share my admiration for the beauty and dignity of the singular and the wonder of the world that shapes our souls.