Her fastidiously composed tabletop arrangements of fruits and vegetables tell a similar story. On the one hand, these paintings occupy an honored place in our shared memory of home and of American still life painting. People in search of great craft or a feeling of happy domesticity will be amply rewarded. Foodies will rejoice in the delectable images of cherries, apples, citrus, melons, tomatoes, and bell peppers. On the other hand, there is something quite contrived about these. Perfectly stacked and artfully cut fruit are painted just as perfectly and artfully. These paintings reference the “home” we prepare for special guests – the “home” we see in high-end interior design magazines. The tableaus are incredibly beautiful, but are they “real?”

Indeed, what does it mean to be a Realist painter in this conceptual era of ours? Also, how can an artist who is passionate about the craft and history of her art form reconcile that devotion with the intellectual vagaries and lax execution that dominate today’s contemporary art world? Martha’s new paintings suggest her answer. 

Martha Mayer Erlebacher lives just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received an MFA from Pratt Institute in New York. She has had an extensive teaching career for the past four decades at some of the finest art schools in Philadelphia and New York. In addition to being included in many prestigious private collections, her work is also featured in over a dozen national museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, among others.