Martha grew up in Bogota, Columbia and earned a degree in architectural drafting. She remembers as a child getting a box of 36 prismacolor pencils. To her it was the best gift in the world since she spent all of her free time drawing. She drew and designed doll clothes, and made trinket box houses on illustration board. She later started working with wood, making dollhouses and hanging peg racks, and painting them with acrylic paint. Christmas was always a big creative event with her Mom when they spent many hour creating centerpieces. The endless choices of pine branches, candles, ribbons, bows were so exciting!

Martha came to The USA in 1970 and stayed with her sister in Minneapolis. She began to paint in oils while also teaching Spanish at The Berlitz School of Languages. She met her husband Don while teaching. They got married and had two children. Her family moved to Amherst, Ohio in 1978. She and her husband added a third child to their family. She then went back to painting on wood and tole painting while also running her kids to school and sports activities.

In 2004 she began taking watercolor classes from Clela Stelnicki, and really loved the soft effect of the media, and wanted to continue to create that. She has taken many classes from many artists and is grateful for all she has learned, and feels she still has a lot to learn. She feels it is important to give credit to her instructors of various media: Christine England, Peg Asensio, David Pavlak, Gerry Wolozyn, Joleen Arthur, Diane Boldman, Bob Moyer, Cathy Welner, Joyce Bolte, Eric Dull, Neal Jenne, And Mitzi Lai.

Martha says “When I do a painting all my focus is with the thought that it will be a pleasing piece to look at.” It gives her a great feelng when someone buys her paintings, a little piece of her is in each one, and they all have a special connection to her.