The Oxford Treehouse Gallery is presenting an exhibit of the works from Martha Ferris during the month of November. This Friday through Nov. 30, multiple pieces of work by the artist will be on display for viewing. The solo exhibition is titled “Paintings and Drawings: Black and White in Color.”
Ferris, whose origins lie in the western part of the state of Mississippi along the banks of the Big Black River Basin, is a mixed-media artist who has commissioned works ranging from mosaics and murals to fabrics.
“I have been involved in the arts all my adult life, first in modern dance, then theatre and finally visual arts,” Ferris said. “I had always drawn and painted from the time I was a child, but it wasn’t until I left acting and signed up for a course in painting and dying on fabric at UCLA School of continuing education over 30 years ago that I found my way into visual art as a career.”
Ferris said that’s when her pursuit as an artist really began.
“It was in that class that I first learned how to batik and silkscreen,” she said. “I was thrilled by the vivid colors of the dyes on silk and by the clean imagery of the stenciled silk screens on cotton fabric. Eventually those batiked pieces evolved into larger landscapes, until finally I began creating imagery on steel with acrylic paint, often silk-screened or stenciled onto the surface.”
Ferris was also the recipient of the Mississippi Arts and Letters award in visual arts for the year of 2016. The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters gives the honors to a select few artists in their respective fields of focus. The institute recognized Ferris for her phenomenal exhibit from the past year, “Foreign and Familiar Places,” which was located at the Fischer Galleries. Her newest exhibition at the Oxford Treehouse Gallery is greatly anticipated.
The exhibition displays Ferris’ remarkable eye for color and the brilliant ways in which she combines different artistic styles to convey her visions through her works. The featured pieces that will be on display vary from dark drawings of silver to the vivid paintings in acrylic among other medias.
Many of her works within the exhibition are cityscapes, inspired by her many travels as well as places she dreams of visiting. The artist draws inspiration from countless sources, such as geometrics and her family.
Ferris said she draws inspiration from her family.
“My granddaughter, Jessica Maffia, who lives and works in New York City, is a constant inspiration to me,” Ferris said. “Not only for the beautifully arresting work she’s producing but also for her tremendous dedication and commitment to her art.”
Overall, the artist hopes the viewers take away a feeling of joy from visiting the exhibition to view her works.
“I hope viewers of my work have an experience that touches or delights or surprises or perplexes them in some way, so that it remains alive for them after their first encounter,” Ferris said.
The anticipated work, if anything like Ferris’ previous work, will be unique in the art world with a soulful, vivid quality. Ferris inserts herself into the colorful work she produces. Likewise, the Oxford Treehouse Gallery is a unique venue. For this reason, this location for the exhibit’s debut is fitting.
A reception for the exhibitions grand opening will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.
