Stephanie Zeiler Martin
Stephanie Zeiler Martin is a painter and printmaker living on the California coast. Each medium makes its own demands. Plein aire painting is immediate and engaging; the light is continually changing and the elements –wind, fog, heat, lightning, ants, mosquitoes– are always at play. Printmaking, particularly etching, has its own vicissitudes and creeps along on a longer time scale. The process of drawing the subject, and then capturing the image on a copper plate, can take many hours over weeks or months. And strange things can happen in the acid tank. Stephanie’s series of intaglio etchings depicts the flora and avifauna of her native landscape. She sketches birds and nests at regional natural history museums, and finds botanical subjects in local gardens, farms, and wildlands. She is currently working on etchings to illustrate her husband Orin’s book on growing fruit trees organically. I have long appreciated wild places and creatures, but my art work has given me even greater regard for the design and diversity of nature. Painting a landscape or drawing a taxidermied bird forces me to observe much more keenly a familiar creature or place. I wrangle with what is the most essential information to convey, and — just as important– what to leave out or merely suggest.