Paula Martino

Mystery of Fog, Oil Painting

2020

Artist Comments
Part of artist Paula Martino's Portland, Maine series of works featuring the Atlantic coast. This piece shows a view of the crashing waves from above the rocky shore. "The rocks, water, and tall grasses call up the soothing sounds of the gray-blue sea," says Paula. "A bank of fog rolls in across the Atlantic as the invisible horizon fades into the foggy distance. The foreground is a strip of rocks along the shore in purple and tan with dusky greens indicating grass and seaweed. This work is painted completely with a palette knife and exhibits thick impasto and visual texture."

About the Artist
Artist Paula Martino paints impressionist scenes, especially of places with water. “They reflect the energy and emotions I feel when I see a compelling locale I visit,” says Paula. Using various tools, she applies thick layers of color with oil or acrylic paint and sometimes uses stencil work. With her palette knife technique, she unveils strands of lighter hues amidst her dominantly saturated palette, creating a semi-abstract element. Paula worked as a CPA for thirty-five years running her own tax practice while raising three children, with one having Down Syndrome. All the while pursuing art part-time in a studio her husband built for her in their basement. After retiring in 2020, she decided to pursue her art practice fully, studying in earnest with nationally recognized colorists, portrait artists, and landscape painters. “The experiences of caregiving and tax prep forced me to be very conscientious and organized with my time and efforts. I needed to be so completely organized for so long that it is a relief to be a little messy in my studio.”

Words that describe this painting: Portland, Maine, impasto, palette knife, shore, beach, rocks, waves, coast, water, ocean, fog, seaweed, sea grass, overcast, Cynthia Rosen, cool, sea, seascape, New England, rock, Atlantic, oilpaint, impressionism, impressionism, seascape, oil painting, green

Mystery of Fog
Paula Martino
Oil painting on flat wood panel
Varnished and Ready to frame
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front and back
2020
14 in. h x 11 in. w x .12 in. d
0 lbs. 13 oz.