things agnes martin told me 3
Portrait of Agnes Martin by Charles R. Rushton, 1992, just a couple of years after my visits with her. I think the rocking chair was in her house at the time; it might have been moved to the studio for this portrait. The stripe painting is similar to what I saw in her studio. I found the photo online: https://canadianart.ca/features/video-the-20-year-struggle-behind-agnes-martins-paintings/
Continuing what I wrote in two previous blog posts about her, here are a few more things I remember from my visits to Agnes Martin’s home and studio in 1989/1990. This was all well before the advent of cell phones and their cameras, so I don’t have any photos.
Agnes was born in a farming community in Saskatchewan, Canada. She told me somewhat pensively about a path not chosen, “I could have been a farmer’s wife.” Happily for all of us, she stayed true to herself and became Agnes Martin.
Her Galisteo home was modest and spartan, sparsely furnished, a serene space that was functional but not very alluring aesthetically. I was surprised, since her paintings are so exquisite, but she didn’t care about the environment except to keep it quiet, protected, tidy, and simple.
She looked at some of my late 1980s pastel paintings that she had me bring into her studio and talked about “the mystery of nature” when looking at one of them that soon after was purchased for the home collection of friends in Santa Fe, who said it inspired them to bring more color into their home.
Other artist friends in Santa Fe knew her and spent time with her, and whenever we got together, we would share our Agnes stories. I thought I would remember every detail, especially after sharing them so many times. But somehow I never wrote it all down, so now, over thirty years later, I’m not sure if I remember anything else specific except that those pilgrimage visits to see her were quite impactful. There was no heavy critique, just support, honoring, and words of guidance. I’m grateful I called her up and asked to meet and visit her.
August 30, 2021 blog post
