Martina Maya Callen
Martina Maya Callen was the Artist in Residence at Catoctin Mountain Park September 4-25, 2025. Martina is a 2-dimensional artist from Laurel, MD. During her residency, Martina experimented with the “alchemy of nature” and crafted her own watercolor pigments using plants, seeds, leaves and berries found locally. Reminiscent of the Hudson River School painters who captured the beauty of the wilderness and were instrumental in the formation of the National Park Service, Martina plans to create artwork that is not only inspired by the park but is physically made from the local community—deepening the connection between art, nature and environmental responsibility. During her residency, Martina did two public presentations. Her September 17th presentation was held on the porch at the Thurmont Library where she talked about her work for environmentalism, naturalism and community wellness. She pointed out the importance of being outdoors and had participants make “intention jars” with leaves, herbs, flowers and oils. Each combination of ingredients was formulated for the “intention” of calmness, sleep, focus or energy. At the end of the session, she led a guided meditation where we listened to the sounds of the night (rain on the roof, crickets and tree frogs) and were led to a very peaceful place.
On September 21st, she did a “Nature’s Palette Workshop” at Apples Church Pavillion in Thurmont. There were 35 adults and children in attendance. She showed all the steps needed to make your own watercolor pigment using local plants, leaves, bark and berries. She showed how the color of the pigment could be altered by changing the pH with baking soda or lemon juice. The audience had lots of questions and wanted recipes for the watercolor medium that she made. It included gum Arabic, honey and clove oil.