Martha Rodriguez

Bio: Martha Rodriguez is a self taught, Chicana artist. Originally from San Jose, she has been a resident of San Francisco for many years. Martha has a degree in Social Welfare from U.C. Berkeley and worked in the field of Public Health at the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s. She helped with researching the causes and effects of HIV during that time.

When her son and daughter were born, she began to volunteer in their schools creating Chicano culture related art curriculum to share with the students. It was then that she began to explore her own art form making jewelry, crafts and painting.

Always intrigued by color, cultures, creativity and lifestyles, Martha continues to create one of a kind jewelry with an emphasis on bright colors, bead work and Dia de los Muertos/Frida Kahlo iconography. Her home accessories also highlight Latino icons with an assortment of crowns, crosses framed in shadow boxes. Martha's paintings, also rich in color carry on the thread of Chicano themes and also explore the beauty of women’s powerful bodies as a more natural alternative to the gaunt images seen in fashion magazines.

In life, Martha was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010. As a cancer survivor, she lives each day enriched by the challenges she faces, every smile she receives and laugh she can share. She sees life as a myriad of bright colors she hopes to express in the artwork she creates.