Hirdie Girdie welcomes 2 guest artists for the month of January: oil painter Martha Dodd & clay sculptor Stan Dzedzy. Be sure to attend our “meet and greet” during our extended hours on Thursday January 9 from 5-8 pm. Check the website https://hirdiegirdiegallery.com/ for any changes.
Martha Dodd is a renowned local artist and she finds inspiration all around her in Florida. The bountiful local natural wildlife, horses, birds, and fish were the frequent subjects of her best-known murals. Her diverse work encompasses murals, portraits, faux finishing and landscapes and is noted for its photorealism, detail and passion.
Martha's background and her love of art history helped her recognize the importance of art in the home to create a mood and enhance the beauty of the surroundings. Not only does art have a role of adding interest in the home, but it must live in harmony with its surroundings and the people who live there. Martha love challenges, and loves to have fun with her art as well. It has come to define her as a person–she can't imagine life without it!
She is a noted portrait artist and a member of the Portrait and Figure Painters Society of SW Florida and has been actively involved in the statewide art-scene.
Stan Dzedzy's dragons, imaginative creatures, and whimsical figures have come to characterize his handcrafted stoneware. Stan became interested in clay in college and was particularly fascinated by the fact that clay, with no shape or form of its own, can be turned into just about anything with a little bit of skill and creativity.
Using a variety of stoneware and porcelain clays, most of Stan's work begins on the pottery wheel by forming a basic shape and then adding hand sculpted forms to create his individually handmade pieces. A variety of colored stoneware clay combined with a variety of self-formulated glazes stains and metal oxides are used to complement and enhance his finished work
His personal interest in both the mystical and whimsical aspects of this world are his inspiration for his pieces.