La Soirée Fairy, June 7th,2019, 6-10pm
DAAS Co-op Art Gallery cordially invites you to an evening of fun and fantasy at the Butterfly Estates, located at 1815 Fowler Street, Fort Myers, Florida.
June is a magical time – marking the beginning of summer – when the nights are still cool enough, and bright enough, to step out and enjoy a fantastical evening. Let the DAAS Gallery show you a splendid time of wine, art, and fairies in their new location at the Butterfly Estates in Downtown Fort Myers.
There will be fairies present, and guests are encouraged to attend in fairy costumes as well! Anyone with a set of wings, whether they be fairy, butterfly or feathered, will be awarded with a free gift. The wearer of the best costume will be awarded a framed art print by featured artist Martha Dodd.
Dodd is a realist whose genres include fantasy, equestrian and wildlife art, murals, and portraiture.
Her technique is straightforward. She strives to reveal what is most beautiful about her subject. Equally important to her is conveying to the viewer a sense of “being there.”
In keeping with the June theme of fairies, Dodd has rendered stunning portraits of fairies for this exhibit. Dodd acknowledged that it is not an easy undertaking to paint an insightful painting of a fantasy creature such as a fairy. But Dodd pulls off the feat with equanimity. Her characters convey a believability and sincerity that draws the viewer in.
Dodd appears destined to be an artist.
Her father was a physician, her mother an artist. She grew up in Ohio surrounded by an impressive art library that included large volumes of works by Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Martha was swept away by the enormous murals these masters created. So inspired, she loved to draw and took every art class that was available to her during the school year, and even some summer courses at the College of Wooster, Ohio.
But Martha loved horses even more than she loved art. Instead of pursuing a degree and career in art, she attended the Agricultural Technical Institute majoring in Horse Management for a year. She then transferred to Ohio State University, where she earned her BS in Animal Science in 1983. She originally intended to become a veterinarian, but instead became a physical therapist for race horses. Martha worked for the Bill Haughton Stable in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky and Florida for 5 years.
While working at the track, Martha found time to draw the horses around her from life. It was not long before co- workers and horse owners were commissioning her to do portraits of their horses. She had the benefit of visiting the art museums in New York City, and meeting fine equine artist William Orr, who shared with her some tips on painting.
Martha decided to pursue another career.
She found a job working for an art studio in Florida, where she began painting full time. She went out on her own 5 years later.
Martha has found inspiration all around her in Florida, and discovered that she could not only paint horses, but birds, fish and humans as well. To her delight, she discovered a huge demand for murals, and that has been the mainstay of her work for many years. These days, Martha is kept busy with commissioned work, as well as creating new paintings for exhibitions.
Although she’s been perfecting her craft full-time since 1987, she continues to study and learn.
Her summers are spent in Europe, where she creates works of art as well as studies the many great works of the masters. She has attended workshops from nationally-acclaimed artists, including Douglas Flynt and Steven Assael. She continues her studies with life drawing classes at the Alliance of the Arts in Fort Myers, Florida. And as is true with many experienced artists, Martha is not interested in pursuing awards. The great demand for her work is testament to her accomplishments as a successful artist.
