All McAleer ever wanted to be and all she's ever been is an artist. From a very young age, her view of the world was that of a moving painting with her earliest memories being a fascination with nature and its mechanics. She began sketching with a #2 pencil and lined paper in first grade.

"I'd look at an object and sketch without looking at my hand or the paper and I would create an exact replica. I continued doing this for the next several years by playing with plaster, paint and fabric but it wasn't until high school and an incredible art teacher that I became challenged. My subsequent award-winning projects inspired me to make art my lives' work.

McAleer was accepted to both Pratt and FIT but decided to study in Boston. Years later McAleer enrolled in The American Academy of Art in Chicago and studied the basics of painting, drawing and design.

"I always adored Georgia O’Keefe’s work and was inspired to create my own style. I love to paint just large enough for the painting to consume my field of vision."

Today, McAleer's work is primarily on canvas with acrylic paint and plaster. She creates paintings immersed in texture.

"I'm very drawn to a cool palate. I want to draw the viewer in for a moment with a curiosity as to what they are seeing. I embrace order, consistently putting it into my work alongside my signature texture and colors."

McAleer builds her paintings systematically much like a sculptor of architecture would do by layering one color, texture and idea at a time.

Martha McAleer