Art & About – Sister, Mother, Daughter
Sister, mother and daughter team Felicity, Elizabeth and Sarah Martin hold their third family show this month. Off The Leash caught up with Sarah ahead of their exhibition.
Where do you draw your inspirations?
We are all really influenced by the landscape along with the unique wildlife that the Top End has to offer. There is so much change throughout the year due to the dramatic seasons – changes in the colours and textures or the different plants, animals and birds – all of which affect and influence our work.
Did you all grow up in the NT?
Mum grew up on the beautiful Vanuatu island of Santo and Liz and I spent our childhood on a farm in NSW, not far from the Murray River. It was a great place to grow up.
What’s it like to work together, is there any competition?
No, not really, though as kids I felt that it was always a bit of a challenge for me as Liz was naturally gifted at everything she tried, so I had to work really hard to keep up! I guess in that sense there was a bit of healthy competition to motivate me to practise and improve. As adults I think we've all found our own style and niche so we're all just supportive of each other and genuinely enjoy each other's company.
Has there been 'fights' for studio space?
Well, I've actually just finished renovating a studio and office space and literally the day after I moved in, Mum and Liz had spread their gear everywhere and I had to fight to get some space back for myself! We've figured it out now so we all have a table each, so we can work on our pieces for our upcoming show in (relative) harmony. I get two tables because it's my studio!
Any other siblings in the mix?
We have an older brother who is into photography.
What are the best things about working and sharing art together?
Having two supportive, like-minded women is so wonderful. Mum is really hard working and is always trying new styles and techniques, which is something I really admire. Liz has always been a natural talent but has grown so much artistically over the past few years and her work just keeps on getting better and better. We all bring something different to the table creatively and if something needs doing we all chip in and get it done. Occasionally someone will have a bit of a dummy spit but we forget about it straight away and then we get on with it!
Fri 13 – Sun 29 Oct | Opening Fri 13 Oct, 5.30pm | Tactile Arts
Image: Felicity Martin, Liz Martin and Sarah Martin.
