La Luz de Jesus Presents Martha Rich

Martha Rich

January 4 - January 27, 2008

Martha Rich

“Imitation Snakeskin Superstore”

When Martha Rich was very young, she was a model for television and print commercials. Rediscovering one of her old J.C. Penney shoots lead to her obsession with vintage department store catalogs from the 60s and 70s. Working with mixed media; acrylic, pencil, ink and collage, Rich's style, which she calls "imperfect", is heavily influenced by the stiff model poses, undergarments and beauty products found in the pages of these consumer-culture wishbooks.

At the age of 16, Rich's mother was diagnosed with cancer, forcing Rich to deal with issues much heavier than flirting, dating, using make-up, being stylish and girly. "After my mother died, I had to learn the girly stuff on my own. I did this by looking at magazines, TV and mimicking other girls. That is what this show is about; trying on and shedding identities until it feels right, trying to be normal and to fit in by buying the 'right' products or being the 'right' type of person and then finding out how unsatisfying and ridiculous it all is. " states Rich. "IMITATION SNAKESKIN SUPERSTORE" will feature paintings exploring these same issues. In addition, a year-long project started in 2006 called "Freedomwig: One Painting A Day by Martha Rich" (http://freedomwig.com ) which would have ended on October 31, has been extended exclusively for the La Luz de Jesus exhibit.

Her "imperfect" style has given her the opportunity to work on diverse projects such as Beck's music video for "Girl ," packaging for Blue Q and Camel, print work for Lady Footlocker, Country Music Television and for many publications including CosmoGirl, Jane, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, the Village Voice, and Bust Magazine and others. Her work has also been featured in Graphic 10 Magazine, Communication Arts, Step Inside Design Magazine and American Illustration. Rich's first book, " Freedom Wigs: Sketchbook Expressionism and Other Personal Things" (Hardcover, 72 pages, published by Mark Murphy/Murphy Design, http://www.murphydesign.com ISBN 0-9748032-5-1) was released in 2006.