Artist Martha Link Walsh Announces "Quarantine Critters" Book

Artist Martha Link Walsh announces her newest book, Quarantine Critters – A Paper Cutting Craft Book for All Ages. This fun, colorful, adorable and upbeat DIY at home activity book allows adults and children to connect to their favorite critters to get through tough times. Martha will introduce Quarantine Critters at her gallery, 188 North Main Street in Branford, on Friday, February 26 from 4-6pm.
The quarantine has been an ever-present adjustment to new ways to get through each day. Socially isolate. Wear your mask. Shelter in place. Martha’s critters are a direct result of that shift of focus. Connecting to the natural world and “reading” its messages, Martha saw a parallel to our “new” world. These colorful, happy critters will both lift your spirits and give you an activity to get lost in. Mood lifter. Time filler. Whether you cut them out or color them in, you will have fun whether you’re a child or an adult. The layering of colors in these collages, in the manner of Henri Matisse, feels magical as the image appears as you glue the parts together. “During these quiet times, I have focused on creating my ‘Quarantine Critters’ that symbolize elements of the pandemic we are all experiencing,” Martha says and further explains, “For example, giant pandas normally self-isolate in the bamboo forests in China. They are happy to be in the woods, alone with their thoughts, chowing down on bamboo, enjoying their alone time...So, the cutting of a single panda with his back towards the viewer symbolizes quiet contemplation.” A self-taught artist, Martha has maintained a gallery in Branford for over 45 years, selling her original creations and one-of-a-kind paper-cut family heirlooms. Whether she is designing a multi-colored piece or a cut-from-one-piece paper-cut, she tells a story through images and symbols. Wedding, birth, retirement or any celebration can be captured as a visual for a forever reminder of those special memories. Martha has published three Christmas-themed books. Her art has been featured in Colonial Home, Victoria, Early American Life and Humane Education magazines and has been shown in galleries around the country. Quarantine Critters – A Paper Cutting Craft Book for All Ages is available for purchase at the Martha Link Walsh Gallery as well as online at www.marthalinkwalsh.net
The Martha Link Walsh Gallery is located at 188 North Main Street (Rte. 1), Branford, Connecticut. For more information, contact Martha at (203)481-3505 or marthalinkwalsh@comcast.net. You can view more on her website marthalinkwalsh.net.