Marthe employs a technique that she refers to as “close observation” of the landscapes that she draws. – Dena Porter 
By mid afternoon, Marthe rotated to draw the many buildings across the street from the Oak Bluffs Harbor. 
Marthe meticulously drew the details of the harbor and buildings in Oak Bluffs. – Dena Porter 
Marthe rotated herself as she drew this panoramic landscape in Oak Bluffs. – Dena Porter 
Marthe can more easily draw the details of her landscapes during the quieter times of the year. – Dena Porter 
As Marthe created the panoramic drawing, she marked important transition lines that needed to be carried from one panel to the next. – Dena Porter 
By mid afternoon, Marthe began drawing the Flying Horses carousel building and the info center in Oak Bluffs. – Dena Porter 
Marthe’s accordion-style landscape took shape by early afternoon. 
By mid afternoon, Marthe began drawing the Flying Horses carousel building and the info center in Oak Bluffs.
Part-time Islander, architect, artist, and teacher, Marthe (“Marty”) Rowen has always had a pencil or pen in her hand: “I’ve always done art. My older sister is a prodigy and artist who drew all the time. I tagged along beside her. But I never considered myself an artist until recently,” Rowen says. The Granary Gallery in West Tisbury began carrying her art in 2023.
“When I showed Chris Morse my work the first time, he said yes. He immediately understood that it would work in the Granary because it’s unique. The work there is unique, and very specific and representational. Since I’ve been showing at Granary, I feel like I can now call myself an artist,” she continues. “I feel honored to be in the Granary, and the people there have been so supportive.”
“It is remarkable how her mind is able to interpret a landscape with such technicality and such beauty,” Granary Gallery owner Chris Morse says.
Rowen discovered architecture in college, and headed in that direction professionally: “Since architects are always drawing, I had boxes of sketchbooks that mostly didn’t see the light of day for decades.” That eventually changed: “10 to 15 years ago, I was asked to do a lecture on women in architecture. I showed my drawings, and the architects were all inspired, and I thought, ‘I have to draw again.’ Then I had an opportunity to teach drawing to architects, and I became devoted to it. I really created a pedagogy, insisting my students draw what they see at the moment they see it. I don’t allow erasers.”
Her pen illustrations explore wide-open spaces. She does not use cameras, computers, erasers, or her memory. She uses archival ink, and flexible Moleskin folding sketchbooks are her canvas. Her work includes drawings from New York, Rhode Island, and the Vineyard. The scenes can be read like visual storybooks: Viewers can turn pages and see a sequence of images, or an “accordion,” which can be squeezed, expanded, or unfurled into a single, long image.
Black-and-white illustrations are not everyone’s cup of tea — the world loves color — but by reducing visual noise, the interplay between light and dark is emphasized, and invites the viewer to engage with the contrast, negative space, and texture, evoking a sense of timelessness or nostalgia.
Standing in one spot, Rowen quickly captures what she sees in all directions: “I try to find a balance between loose and precision. I move quickly with my pen and my eye instead of making it perfect, as it might be with an architectural drawing. Pen is precise, and I use fine pens because they allow me to get to a lot of detail and specificity.”
Rowen’s goal is that the viewer should feel like they’re standing right there with her. “Loose lines on people makes it look like they’re moving,” she says. “If a sailboat goes by, you can see the difference in things that have passed by. There could be one drawing of the harbor where the boats are stationary, but if a boat goes by, it’s often transparent — they were there and then they weren’t. The other thing is that I rotate the panoramas so the perspective changes. Architects understand perspective, but your eyes move in life, so as I’m moving, the perspective changes, and that too is very imperfect — paradoxically imperfect.”
Her favorite time to draw on the Island is in the shoulder seasons. “There will be fewer people or cars. I love to draw when it’s just warming up — early April, when there are fewer boats. I love that if you know the Island you can tell what season it is by looking at the drawings.“
Private collectors have been Rowen’s biggest clients. “The people who commission me ask if I’ll do their house, or a specific landscape,” she explains. “I’ve drawn the Edgartown and O.B. harbors, as well as the ferry, and the gingerbread houses. Menemsha is very popular. The combo of the landscape, horizon, and the familiarity of the buildings and boats is popular.”
Future endeavors for Rowen include playing with color: “I have just started painting, and I’m really loving it. My ambition is to translate my sketches into paintings. I hope to do some really long panoramas in color.” Rowen also continues to teach and draw. “I draw when I travel — on trains, planes, and boats. I draw when I am at rest, I draw for myself, and to share my simple joy of capturing a moment and place.”
On Friday, June 26, from 4 to 6 pm, the Granary Gallery will be holding a premiere of Rowen’s work along with that of Nancy Aronie, Whitney Cleary, and Cindy Kane. granarygallery.com, 636 Old County Road, West Tisbury; 508-693-0455.