THE UNSINKABLE MARTHA HULL

Art from the heart by the unsinkable Martha Hull.

The last days of 2015 Portland Saturday Market ends on Christmas Eve.

During the waning hours it’s called “Festival of the Last Minute.”

Christmas gifts, presents for yourself, or just a look at working artists? You’ll find it all.

And that’s where you’ll find the unsinkable Martha Hull.

Most of what we know about artists is their work. Either you like it, or not. You buy if it moves you.

If you find an artist early in their career arc and buy their work, it’s an investment.

Martha Hull might be that artist. Here’s why:

I met Ms Hull through Better, Smarter, Richer.

It’s a business course through Portland Community College where people learn how to manage their business.

The unsinkable Martha Hull was just launching. She had a big dream.

Everyone meeting with author and instructor Jackie Peterson has a big dream.

Some are more realistic; Martha seemed like a long shot.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

From first meeting to this day she set her course and worked toward the goal of artistic independence.

Go back to the art appreciation side and consider why you buy art, why you don’t buy art, and why you should buy Martha Hull’s art.

My prediction is her work will soar in the near future. So you’ll get the bargain early.

Her work reminds me of the first time I saw a Gary Larson cartoon.

It showed a dog hiding behind a washer and dryer with the door open and a series of direction arrows with the work “Cat Fud.”

The caption had the dog saying, “Oh please. Oh please,” while the cat looked inside the dryer.

The single panels of Larson’s Far Side and Hull’s originals share a similar vein of humor. I’ve had a few of her panels for months and they still catch me by surprise.

Besides Gary Larson’s Far Side, Martha Hull’s work has a Callahan feel to it, as in John Callahan.

She’s in great company and is rising to the professional challenges of the industry.

From the classroom of Jackie Peterson and Better, Smarter, Richer, Martha learned the business end.

She needed materials, inventory, marketing, sales, and transportation.

She bought a van and packed it with the gear she needed to show at Portland’s Saturday Market.

One evening someone broke in and robbed the van. That might end it for a less resilient artist.

I don’t think Martha missed a market day from the robbery.

From bettersmarterricher.com:

Jackie B. saved my life. I was depressed and rudderless, stuck as an admin in the subbasement of very conservative company when I first heard Jackie talk at a how-to business event for creatives. The thing that Jackie said that day that most rocked my world was “if you do not pick ONE thing and stick with it, you are destined to be a hobbyist forever.” Three years now into creating my “deep and narrow niche,” I’ve self-published two picture books, run a successful Kickstarter campaign, and grown my fan base exponentially. I’m still having “great ideas” but am looking at them with a sharp eye to make sure they are not “mission creep”. One thing I have learned for sure: listen to Jackie. She’s a visionary about the future of business and knows how to make a solopreneur business work. The more I do of what Jackie says, the more successful I become. “Better, Smarter, Richer” – those are not just words.
– Martha Hull, Creative Czar of Fluffpocalypse, LLC

Strong words, don’t you think?

From this cartoon connoisseur the unsinkable Martha Hull joins the ranks of NW stars like Larson and Callahan.

Further, it feels like influences from the likes of South Park, The Simpsons, and Matt Groening push her to new heights of sweet dread.

Personal confession: I love Portland Saturday Market since the first Saturday Market I saw in Eugene in the ’70’s.

When I’m downtown on Saturdays I try and make a point of stopping to say hello. Since it started this unending rain it’s been too damn wet to see the unsinkable Martha Hull.

But she’s there.

And she’s unsinkable.

In one of those weird coincidences of fate I was down there waiting on a train for SantaCon on Saturday and thought, “Where is the unsinkable Martha Hull?”

I asked my wife. Before she could answer we both saw Martha crossing the street.

Is there a harder working, tougher, sweeter artist working in Portland?

You’ll find her in all weather. After all, she is the unsinkable Martha Hull.