
I wrote my first poem when I was eleven and began to realise, that, although I found maths, woodwork and football difficult and boring, in my English classes writing was easy and fun.


My books are available as e-books, paperbacks, audio books, all over the world. I have twelve novels and five collections of short stories on sale, I’m published by Lake Union Publishing, as well as independently, and I’ve been in the top five best-selling authors a number of times. But now, at last, I think of myself as an author. I’ve always been a writer, writing stories, plays, and many unfinished novels. nom de plume martin lakeīlog Mailing List Facebook Twitter Amazon If you are interested in seeing more of her work, you can go to Martin Smith. She is now enjoying her life in two totally different worlds, concentrating on improving her French and learning Italian, as well as painting landscapes of France and Italy. In 2001 she discovered the beautiful Cote d'Azur and eventually bought a property at Cap Martin in 2005, and so, for the past 10 years has been dividing her time between here and Australia. Her work was also very popular in Japan, and she spent many years exhibiting there, doing tours sometimes 2-3 times a year. She gained great success with her work, and opened her own gallery in 1988, followed by more galleries at the Gold Coast near Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Here she found her inspiration in the vibrant colours of the flora and fauna of the lush rainforests and the nearby Great Barrier Reef.

In 1979 she moved from Sydney to tropical Far North Queensland to discover and establish her own style as a painter, and lived near Cairns for 13 years. JoAnne spent time in Art Colleges in Shepparton, central Victoria, and in Melbourne, where she learnt the basics of design and printmaking, but gained the most knowledge and experience from working in design studios, then freelancing in advertising and illustration in Sydney. She started with her love of horses, drawing them in pencil and then experimenting in paint and colour.
#Ipaint marty smith trial
Basically self-taught, she learnt her craft from trial and error and many, many hours of practice. JoAnne is an Australian artist and has been drawing and painting from childhood. If you would like to see my paintings give me a ring and arrange a visit to my studio. This gives the opportunity to keep taking a fresh look at the subject. I only paint direct from life in a natural light. I want to give a clue to the space, not describe it in detail, so as to concentrate on the subject As with my still life painting, the backgrounds to my figures are semi-abstract. My figurative work on the other hand has a surrealist element to it. I am not trying to give answers, but ask questions. I am particularly interested in ideas of beauty and its opposite, together with their effect upon self-image. I try to keep it as simple as possible in order to focus on the subject.

I take a straightforward approach to painting, striving to show what I imagine, or see as clearly as I can. I have a 12 minute commute to my studio on foot, just enough time to mentally prepare for work on the way there and to disconnect on the way home. The light here is superb for painting and we both love the urban life of cafes and market. It is a total contrast from an isolated 17th century cottage perched on a mountain, usually in cloud. Having lived nearly all my life in the Lake District, Jan and I decided to move to Menton following a holiday in Antibes.
#Ipaint marty smith professional
I spent 30 years making ceramics, not wishing to follow directly in the footsteps of my parents, who were professional painters. At the age of 50 I was ready for the challenge of painting.
