Martha Nessler Hayden

Martha N. Hayden -- Artist.

For more than 60 years, Martha N. Hayden has been working in and out of her studio in Sharon, Wisconsin. She produces art in many mediums, including oil, acrylic, water color, gouache, lithography, fabric, ceramics and enameling. She has brought joy to thousands of people who have purchased her work, and hundreds of people who have participated in her art classes and workshops. Over the years, she has also maintained studios in New York City in Astoria (1995 - 2001) and on the Lower East Side (2001 - 2017) and she has participated in numerous Artist Residencies.

Martha Hayden at Work --May 2019

Martha N. Hayden grew up in Evanston, IL and attended Evanston High School which she graduated from in 1955. She attended Bradley College for 2 years majoring in the Ceramic Arts before transferring to the Art Institute of Chicago where she majored int he Fine Arts and received her BFA degree in 1961. At the Art Institute, she studied with Paul Wieghardt and Isabol MacKinnon. While attending the Art Institute of Chicago, she also attended the University of Chicago-Downtown Campus (1955-1961) where she took academic courses. Following graduation from the Art Institute of Chicago, she used a Byron Lathrop foreign traveling fellowship to study at chule des Sehens in Salzburg, Austria,with Oskar Kokoschka in 1962. AskArt.com - Martha Nessler Hayden She continued to travel and paint in Europe immediately following her studies with Kokoschka. She has traveled to Mexico to paint on multiple occasions. During these trips, she has spent time in Santo Miguel Allende, the Yucatan peninsula and Bella Vista located in the mountains near Morelia And she has participated in Art Residencies throughout the US and Europe during the 1990s and 2000s.

File:Martha Hayden painting a still life with tulips.jpg

Martha Hayden at Work in Her Studio

Early Career

During the 1960s and 1970s, Martha Hayden was a regular exhibitor at The Art Institute of Chicago where her works were part of the Art Rental program there. The was also a regular participant in the Chicago and Milwaukee Art Scenes. Her works were in Collector’s Showroom in Chicago and in Bradley Galleries in Milwaukee. During the summers, she could be found at the Chicago Area Art Fairs including: 57th Street, Old Town, Gold Coast, Glenview, Orchard Park, and Evanston; and the Milwaukee fairs including the Lake Front Festival. Her works in oil and acrylic were often large and stood out at these fairs because of their size and because of their use of color and composition.

A memorable series created during this period is the "Super Fruits" These still lives featured individual pieces of fruit in ways that they are not usually viewed. Most of these works are 50 inches or more wide. All of the Super Fruit compositions were complex, but what viewers typically commented on were the amazing variety of colors that Martha found and expressed in these works. The Super Fruits were painted with acrylic paints which were still viewed as something new in the 1970s. Martha used the acrylic paints and associated acrylic mediums and varnishes to create washes of bright color that were layered to produce more colors.

Another series created during this period is the "Bags and Eggs" series. This series of large extremely detailed still lives were a deeper exploration of composition that were at the time shocking to see, because they did not have the many bright colors of the super fruits. The color palette was limited to various tans and browns. These paintings are all painted in oil. The "Bags and Eggs" still lives contained simple, often rustic items and usually contained at least one brown paper bag. This series is characterized by the limited color palette, the recognizable items in the composition and the high degree of realism. James Auer, Milwaukee Journal Art Editor, in his review of her exhibit at Bradley Galleries in Milwaukee, described her as the "Philip Pearlstein of kraft paper, achieving a remarkable plasticity and sensuality with the simplest of subject matter"

Another memorable series are of Mexican landscapes. These were painted outside, on location, in rural Mexico during the winters of 1970-71 and 1971-72. These paintings stand out from other landscapes done by Martha because the Mexican sky is typically a stronger shade of blue than that seen in Wisconsin, and the vegetation was also much different. Often landscapes have a tranquil vibe. These landscapes have a vibrant energetic vibe. Donald Key, Art Critic for the Milwaukee Sentinel, described these works as "Profuse in color and immediately responsive to atmospheres and objects." He goes on to say, "She senses scenic character visually and emotionally. And she paints it quickly and honestly."

Mid Career

During the 1980s, Martha Hayden painted the world that surrounded her in rural Wisconsin. She did several paintings of tractors, combines, and other pieces of farm machinery. She also painted numerous landscapes of the scenic farm land and lakes in Wisconsin's Walworth and Rock Counties. The landscapes were all painted on location. Most were done in acrylic.

A major work was done during 1984 and 85 . It is her largest work. It is a Mural portraying the history of Beloit, Wisconsin. It is installed on the walls of Beloit City Hall. It begins with scenes from time the area was first settled by settlers from Vermont in the 1830s, continuing with the migration of African Americans northward from Mississippi beginning in 1917 when Beloit was emerging as a major center of manufacturing. Along a second hallway is the portion of the mural that provides a panoramic view of Beloit, Wisconsin in the 1980s. It includes views of the Beloit Riverfront, College, historic buildings, parks, and golf course. The mural is 6 feet high and 92 feet long, and it is the largest landscape painting in Wisconsin. This mural is located in the Beloit City Hall. It was completed in 1985.

Some other works from this period include: ___

The Naperville Art League chose Martha Hayden's exhibit at the Riverwalk Art Fair for "Best of Show Award."

Jame Auer, Art Critic for the Milwaukee Sentinel, wrote in an article for the paper, published on June 28, 1992, that Martha Hayden was one of two artists that occupy the "upper tier" for quality at the Milwaukee Lake View Festival of Art.

Later Career

From 1995 through 2017, Martha Hayden maintained a presence in both New York and Wisconsin. Her first New York City studio was in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Her paintings from that location include panoramic views of western Queens featuring Hoyt Avenue, the Triborough Bridges and  the East River. Later she rented a studio on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She painted both landscapes featuring views of the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges and a local fire station.  A stillife series, “Near and Far’ combined window still lifes with urban landscape.

In 2001, she was included in the the Peltz Gallery Exhibition: "11 Annual Remarkable Women Show." held in Milwaukee, WI. An Exhibition of paintings completed in New York was featured at the Museum of Wisconsin (MOWA), West Bend. Museum of Wisconsin(MOWA). https://wisconsinart.org/archives/artist/martha-n-hayden/exhibitions-4591.aspx

She worked on a series of “Allegories,” large paintings that combine stillives, self portraits and “quotes” from art history to make paintings about art, painting, work, grief and expulsion. She had one woman exhibitions at Reggio Gallery, The Interchurch Center and La Guardia Colllege in New York City.

During the 2000s, Martha Hayden traveled to many parts of the world and produced landscape paintings every place she traveled, including the Alfred and Trafford Klots Residency, sponsored by the Maryland College of Art, Institute of Design, in Rochefort en Terre, France, April-May, 2004, May 2006. She has also had residencies in Vermont, Connecticut, New Mexico and Lithuania.

Sampling of articles published about Martha Hayden:

• Still Life in Oils: An Insight Into the Artist's Creative Process -- Seeing, Thinking, Acting, By Theodora Philcox, AVA Publishing, Crans,pres-Celigny, Switzerland,

• The Art of Martha Hayden, by Linda Godfrey, At the Lake, Winter, 2001

• Emerging Women Artists, By Janice Williams , Newbury Street and Back Bay Guide, February 2, 1999

• Artist Draws on Her Unique Journey, By James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 4, 1998

• New York A Second Home for State Painter, By James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 11, 1997
• Art League Announces Riverwalk Fair Winners, The Naperville Sun, September 28, 1990
• "Artist Finds Beauty in Beloit," Enking, Minnie Mills, Beloit Daily News, March 30, 1985. Page 83.
• Harvard University Fine Arts Library Tumbler site:
• What you Won't be Reading on Your Kindle, Part 2
• Martha Hayden - Central Booking
• Artavita - Martha Hayden
• Portal Wisconsin - Martha Hayden
• Art in Brooklyn - Allegories by Martha Hayden 2011
• Racine Art Museum - Martha Hayden
• See Fall Color at Art Exhibit -- Sharon Reporter, October 1991
• "Bright Mexican Scenes Make Exhibit Glisten" by Donald Key, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ca 1970
• Lively Oils, Sculpture Combined in Duo Show" by Donald Key, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ca 1965
• "Brown Paper Bags are Her Bag," By James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ca 1972
• Women's Show proves a strong one" By James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 24, 1992

Martha Hayden is included in the following books:

• Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors / Wisconsin Artists in All Media Centennial Exhibition, West Bend Art Museum, West Bend, WI 2000.
• Art in Wisconsin, Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors / Artists in All Media, Madison, WI 2005
• For the Birds: Artists Examine Aviary Abodes, Wustum Museum Racine, WI 1990

Her works can be viewed on line at:

Seaside Gallery https://seasideart.com/collections/martha-hayden Ask Art.com http://www.askart.com/artist/Martha_Nessler_Hayden/11008242/Martha_Nessler_Hayden.aspx

Portal Wisconsin, https://artavita.com/artists/559

Racine Art Musuem, https://www.ramart.org/content/martha-hayden-salesrental

Absolute Arts

References

Category:Female Artist Category:Art Institute of Chicago Category:Wisconsin Artist