Love Letters & group exhibition

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Photo: Scott Livesey

Love Letters & a group exhibition featuring artists represented by the gallery is opening Saturday the 6th of September 1 to 3PM.

Scott Livesey Galleries – 610 High Street, Prahan, Melbourne. Scott Livesey Galleries

LOVE LETTERS

This collection of new drawings is an ode to love letters women used to write in secret to one another. The depiction of orchids is a nod to the violet flower, historically used as a visual code for love between queer women. The association of queer women and the violet reaches back to Sappho, a poet in ancient Greece, who wrote about desire and love between women. Letters, much like drawings, are a tactile representation of passion, love and connection. 

My interest in orchids is multifaceted; they are one of the largest families of flowering plants and relatives of mine have published books and illustrations of many different varieties of orchids. Interest in plants runs deep in my family. From a technical point of view, I endeavor to capture the shapes and weight of the flowers using stippling and light cross hatching, which has been challenging but very enjoyable. 

I am also exploring women just being – not posing, not performing, not responding to, or affected by, the male gaze. I feel that most visual representations of women are them being seen in relation to men, we are the sidekicks, the sexual object, the plot filler, the character builder – we are the virgin and the whore. Though these are not new themes to my work, they are themes that as I draw and grow take on different and deeper meanings. In terms of drawing the human figure, there is always something new to learn and explore. 

Sanctum

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Sanctum, by Lily Mae Martin, 56cm x 76cm, ink on cotton paper, 2025

A (very beautiful) woman said to me that I can finish this drawing in time for an exhibition in September, I had been doubting myself. The drawing is currently being framed by my fabulous framer and friend. Really pleased to be making larger works again.

July

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July is the very best month of the year – it is the birth month of our incredible kid. Born overseas she was our little summer baby, now back on the other side of the side of the world birthdays are always in the depth of winter.

It is amazing to see young people become who they are. This generation is smart, funny and incredibly creative. Their self-awareness and empathy are something my and previous generations unfortunately lack but are also growing into.

Happy birthday month amazing young human. We are all very proud of you and you are always loved and supported by your people.

(Sketch by kiddo).

Love letter – new drawing

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Love letter – ink on paper, 56 x 40cm, Lily Mae Martin 2025.

Stippling and crosshatching forever and ever.

Orchids – (cannot remember the size, almost A4, at the framers), ink on paper, Lily Mae Martin 2025.

It has taken a long time to try and resolve the direction of my drawings; these two took me a painfully long time to complete. I’m ok with them, but very excited about the next few drawings I am currently working on.

Where to begin?

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Where to begin, you just begin.

We are halfway through 2025, and I still don’t feel as though I have caught my breath from 2024, or the year prior, or the one before that. What I do feel, apart from winter has definitely set in (please more rain), is content. Life is a lot, all the time, and will keep being as it is but I am afloat and yes, I ate yoghurt out of a tub with a fork yesterday (ineffective) but the bills are paid, there’s a roof over my head, and I have been drawing and filling my life and time up with good people and animals and art.

I also now can really SEE. Literally. I was drawing at my drawing desk a few months ago and finally tuned into the discomfort. Usually, I’ll explore discomfort from an emotional / psychological point of view but then it dawned on me – maybe it is just my eyes? I visited an eye doctor and yes, yes, it is my eyes. When I put my glasses on to read and look at my drawings well, it has changed everything. I’ve been back to spending long shifts on making art however it’s still slow going because I decided stippling about a hundred or so orchids was a fine idea..

The success of this choice in drawing is still pending – after months and months of work.

I am happy to have finally written something here. The artwork grows slower these days, but I do think it is also about discernment and craft rather than being lazy and unfocused. I still want to make more than I do, and I will. I only just got my glasses and plus it is comic con this weekend ( I am hand sewing costumes..). Looking through some amazing art books last week it occurred to me that no artist will ever feel like they have made enough work. Even over an entire lifetime.

Well, that’s an update for you and for me. I won’t make promises to write again too soon because I seem to have made that promise and not kept it time and time again. But I am still drawing, so there is hope.

Take in some sky and pat an animal.

Little black cat

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There is something about black cats. When my daughter was little, she would get indignant about how people would say that black cats are bad luck. “That is rude! They are good luck!” She has always wanted one and recently this little one came into our lives. He was the smallest in the litter, his favourite place to sleep is in my daughters (very long) hair.

When I am home, I can hear the galloping of a tiny little kitten going from one end of the house to the other.

knock, knock

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Is this thing on? Hello, it’s been ages. My website crashed and while there are many, many learning resources online on how to do website things – my brain says no. So, I have a very excellent human helping me out to get this back on track.

This year flew, I am sure I say that every year. Someone said we have like two more pays before Christmas. DON’T SAY THAT TO ME I AM NOT READY.

Art is as slow as it needs to go at the moment and my scanner died a premature death (bloody built in obsolesce) but I have an amazing babes scanner to use so I will get to that in time.

SEE YOU SOON