When entering Sharon and Martin Matisoff’s home there is an unmistakable current of artistic energy in the air. It’s not created by just the actual works of art that hang in their home situated in western Franklin County. It is an excitement that emanates from Sharon and Martin and their love of creating art — Sharon’s love of painting horses, animals and people; and Martin’s interpretive embroidery pieces. Each art piece tells it’s own story with color, form and motion.
Despite working in different art mediums, Sharon and Martin often draw inspiration from each other. Sharon paints with oils and pastels in the Impressionist/Realist style. Martin is a fine art embroiderer and art quilter using hand or free-motion embroidery techniques. Creativity is a way of life for the Matisoffs.
“We encourage and learn from each other every day,” Sharon said. “We balance each other out.”
Sharon: A lifetime love of painting
Sharon started drawing and using pastels as a young girl. “My mother worked in pastels,” Sharon said. “We just had a cheap box of Prismacolor Nupastels but they did the job.” That was the beginning of a lifelong love of painting.
Like many artists, Sharon couldn’t afford to depend on art as her primary source of income, retiring after many years as a word processor.
“I always painted but after I retired I could devote all of my efforts to painting. When I was working, I’d think about what I wanted to paint all day but then I was too tired when I got home,” Sharon remarked. “It’s so wonderful to be able to paint whenever I want. Whatever inspires me is what I paint.”
After Sharon and Martin moved to Kentucky from California later in life, she discovered the joy of painting horses in sporting art. The couple often ride over to Keeneland or The Horse Park so that Sharon can photograph the horses, jockeys and interesting scenes that she might want to paint. Sometimes she combines elements from different photos to achieve the composition she desires.
In her home studio, the abstract lines of a racehorse and jockey filled the canvas Sharon was currently beginning to paint. With only the outlines of a rough sketch, Sharon has captured the forward movement of the horse and the urgency of the rider to surge ahead. Elsewhere in the light-filled studio, portraits peek from behind art supplies and paintings of horses are propped on easels and cabinets.
“This room is part of the reason we bought the house!” Sharon exclaimed. “I spend a lot of time here and it’s just perfect for me. For much of my life, I have painted portraits. It’s a big part of who I am,” she said. “I’m visually stimulated by beauty and it’s always been my motivation.”
Sharon has been creating equine art for about eight years. “When we came to Kentucky, we became good friends with a woman who owned horses in Georgetown. When I met her horses, I thought they were so beautiful. She kind of took me under her wing and let me work with them. I learned quite a bit,” she said. “I knew I needed to paint them but horses are so complex. I found out that it’s hard to paint a horse but around the second year, my paintings got better and better.”
Primarily self-taught with supplemental study at various colleges and workshops, Sharon credits her classes with the late Richard Bunkall at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, for changing her from an enthusiastic amateur to a skilled painter. Sharon’s paintings are in private collections across the United States and she currently has paintings at the Brown Hotel Gallery in Louisville and at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea. She has participated in numerous juried exhibits and won various awards through the years.
Martin: Creating storied art with thread
Martin took up the intricate craft of embroidery after retiring as a “honeybee researcher” at Kentucky State University. In his work at the university, his masters in entomology led him to help study the diseases of honeybees.
“That’s where we think Marty got the skills needed for the detailed work of embroidering. He worked as a dissectionist,” Sharon commented.
Martin’s dedicated studio is filled with essential tools of his craft — sewing machines, computer, spools of thread, sequins, stretched canvases and resource books. His art pieces are marked by his interpretation of colors, texture and detail. With his needle, he transforms threads into complex works of expressive art. “I’ve only been doing this for three years and I’m still learning the craft. I work from my mind, not really from photos. I love to work with color. It’s my passion,” he said.
Martin Matisoff’s interpretive embroidery piece “The Hero’s Journey” is displayed in his art studio in the home.
Martin explains the symbolism and story he has created in each piece of art. One powerful embroidery bursting with color tells the story of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) when, in 1938, the Nazi regime coordinated a wave of antisemitic violence in Nazi Germany. “We are Jewish and I wanted to catch all of the contradictory colors and show that, even though it was a devastating time for the Jews, there was hope that somebody would stop the chaos,” Martin said.
“My embroidered pieces are influenced by world history, mysticism, occultism and world literature, particularly John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and William Butler Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming,” Martin explained. “I also take inspiration from biblical and historical literature and events.”
Originally from Hollywood, California, Martin was first drawn to fabric art in 1975 when he saw a beautifully embroidered dress in a Chinatown shop window. The Chinese technique was called the blind stitch because it was so small and intricate that, according to the shop owner, it made the embroiderers who used that stitch go blind. “I believed the story but found out later that was a legend and not true. The fabled blind stitch was nothing more than a chain stitch!” Martin said, laughing.
Martin is a juried member of the Kentucky Artisan Center and Kentucky Crafted, as well as other groups.
A legacy of art and love
Beyond their individual success as artists, Martin and Sharon are a living example of what happens when two creative people come together as one. They are not just partners in life but also partners in their artistic journeys. They understand each other’s creative needs and offer support, encouraging each other to explore new ideas.
Their story is one of dedication, passion and the belief that art is not just something you do but something you live. The Matisoffs are a reminder that creativity has no boundaries.
You can see more of the Matisoffs’ art at www.martinmatisoff.com and www.sharonmatisoff.com.
