The art of ... Martha Inman Lorch

About the Artist

Martha Inman Lorch is known for watercolors of her favorite places, in a style that combines masterful technique with a contemporary eye, and expressing her obvious affection for her subject. Inspired by her international travels over the years, she demonstrates her unique perspective of what makes each place special.

Martha believes that travel broadens our outlook and expands our personal worlds, creating a new understanding that draws us together. Her art reflects her perspective on travel and discovery:

As we travel,
We learn new ways of looking at the world.
As we learn new ways of looking at the world,
We discover new ways of looking at ourselves.

When she began traveling, she was awed by the differences across cultures. More and more, she has come to appreciate the commonalities we share, that the world is expansive but also intimate. That intimacy is what she works to infuse in her paintings, to share with others her personal sense of the world.

Martha's award winning paintings have been included in juried exhibitions on the east and west coasts. Notably, her work was awarded the Platinum Palette Award (Best of Show) in the National Watercolor Society Donors Exhibition, appeared in the annual exhibition of the California Watercolor Association, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Biennial Statewide Watercolor Competition and Exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA.

Martha first began to paint as a teenager in North Carolina, earning an early award for her work in oils. Later, she began watercolors as an artistic interest to balance the demands of her career as a marketing executive in Silicon Valley.

Now living in Santa Barbara, she enjoys painting on location as well as in her studio. She works mostly in watercolor, but also in other media. Her work is in private collections in the U.S. and abroad. Besides painting, she designs jewelry.

Martha uses her business experience and love of art to help several local organizations. She served on an Advisory Marketing Committee for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and was President of Gallery Los Olivos for two years. She currently serves on the the Boards of Gallery Los Olivos and the Santa Barabara Art Association. She also enjoys her role as a volunteer assistant for an art class for patients of the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara.

Galleries (current)

Gallery Los Olivos in Los Olivos, CA.
Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, NC.

Awards

National Watercolor Society Donors Exhibition, NWS Gallery, San Pedro, CA, 2012. Platinum Palette Award (Best of Show).
Santa Barbara Art Roots show, Channing Peake Gallery, 2011, Award.
PaintAmerica Competition, 2010, Honorable Mention
Biennial Statewide Watercolor Competition & Exhibition, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA, November 2000 - January 2001. Honorable Mention.
Bodega Bay Allied Arts Show, Bodega Bay, CA, 1996. Award of Excellence.
Southport Arts Festival, N.C. - July, 1965. First place in Junior Division.

Featured Artist Shows

Solo show, Artist with a Passport, Gallery Los Olivos. October 2011.
Four-person show, Around Every Corner, Gallery Ten-Twenty-Nine, Santa Barbara. August-September 2010.
Eight-person show, Plein Air Celebration, Gallery Los Olivos. April 2010.
Solo show, From Here to Santa Fe, Gallery Los Olivos. July 2008.
Two-person shows, Gallery Los Olivos. August 2002, September 2003, October 2006.
Two-person show, Borders Books, Camino Real Marketplace, Goleta. February, 2002.
Solo show, U.S. Post Office, Bodega Bay, CA. September, 1997.

National/State Competition Exhibitions

Biennial Statewide Watercolor Competition & Exhibition, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA, November 2000 - January 2001.
27th Annual Open Competition, California Watercolor Association. 1995.

Selected Juried Shows & Special Events

National Watercolor Society Donors Exhibition, NWS Gallery, San Pedro, CA, 2012.
One Night Stand, benefit for AFS, Gallery 27 at Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara. 2011.
ArtWalk at the Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara. 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010.
Sak's Arts Primavera Show, Sak's Fifth Avenue, Santa Barbara. May 2003, October 2003.
Save Our Unique Landscapes (SOUL) show, Cabrillo Arts Center, Santa Barbara. 2001, 2002.
SCAPE (S California Artists Painting for the Environment) exhibition, Intimate Glimpses, Marcia Burtt Studio, Santa Barbara. 2002.
Formulations, Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara. 2002.
Santa Barbara Art Association, various juried exhibitions, Santa Barbara. 2001-present.
ASID Designer Showcase, Atherton, CA. 1997.
17th Annual Juried 4th of July Exhibition, Southport, NC. 1997.
Bodega Bay Fish Fest, Bodega Bay, CA. 1995, 1997.

Memberships

Associate Memberships in American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, California Watercolor Association.
Local: Santa Barbara Art Association, SCAPE, Goleta Valley Art Association, Los Padres Watercolor Society

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