Madrat Studio

Gretchen Myers
proprietor

Welcome  to my virtual gallery. I've created this web site  as a forum for my own artwork. The name may be a little odd but should be memorable. I thought an enigmatic name might invite curiosity and hopefully visitors. I'll be exhibiting a variety of pieces in different media  and I hope that the work found here rewards those that make the effort to wander through.

Until fairly recently I've made my living as a picture-framer and worked on my artwork when time and money permitted. I now have the opportunity to pursue this fulltime and will display the completed pieces within these pages. For the past several years I've been concentrating on the woodwork pieces with occasional forays into photography. Although photography was what drew me to study art and is my first love, I found I was only able to pursue it sporadically because of the expense involved. I've rarely shown my photo work because I felt that interest in the kind of images I produce might not be there. I turned to working with wood in part because it is something I've always wanted to do and because I thought I might be able to produce some unique functional pieces that would satisfy my creative urges and provide me with an income. I am lucky to have found a gallery that appreciates my efforts. 
Even though my work in photography has been limited I have managed to sell all that I've shown of the painted KOI Series and am encouraged by the interest. It's a new direction in which I can combine photography and my interest in painting. I 'm anxious to get back in the darkroom but until I can get up and running I thought I would display some of my past work. Many of these pieces have been seen by very few people, if any. I tend to work in series and though many of the images where done years ago, the series may not be complete.

Now that I have the time, a place to work and with this web site, at least one place to show  my finished pieces, I'm very excited about jumping in with both feet. In the next few years I'll  be starting new projects and looking for gallery representation as well as adding new images to the web site and probably doing a little editing. To help generate some income I've also developed another web site, Wild Desert Hare.com - a gallery/boutique, where I show and sell  jewelry, writing tools, timepieces  and whatever else I come across that displays beautifully designed craftsmanship. The focus will be on functional as well as the decorative arts and will include work by individual artist as well as pieces designed for mass distribution. My newest endeavor is a small rubber stamp company Madrat Rubber that specializes in original & vintage art stamps. I hope you'll visit.