Martha Ayotte

(508) 215-6155
mayotte22@aol.com
marthaayotte.pixels.com
Facebook: martha.ayotte

Growing up, I was always interested in art.  In eighth grade, I was chosen to attend the John Herron Art Museum, in Indianapolis, for a summer art program.  One of our assignments was to do a charcoal drawing of a student.  That is when I sold my first painting, to the student's mother.

Later, when I was married with children, I took up painting portraits, in pastels, and did this to earn a little money on the side.   After retiring, I took an interest in watercolor, which is my medium of choice, now.

In The Villages, I take watercolor classes and have been greatly inspired by my teachers here.  Also, by the well-known artist, Lian Quan Zhen, who taught a workshop in The Villages every year.  It is from him that I learned the technique of negative painting, which I love, and try to incorporate it in all my paintings now.

As a second interest, I am a nature photographer. Living on a pond, I am blessed with the opportunity to view and photograph nature in my own backyard.  That, and frequent visits to zoos, animal rescues, and nature preserves, I have acquired a huge inventory of my own photographs, so I am able to paint my own original paintings.

In the future, I hope to keep growing as an artist, and share with others my love of animals and nature.