"Toad with Inky Cap Mushrooms," gouache and watercolor, by Lucy Martin
What do you do for a living?
I am an artist. You can see some of my work at www.lucymartinart.com. I've taught yoga for the past 16 years. Currently, I teach at Yoga Center Santa Cruz and Yoga Fitness in Campbell.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing that?
I would paint full time. I love mushrooms, that's what I've been painting for the past few years. I would travel to discover and paint new mushrooms.
What do you do in your free time?
I hike in the woods and I paint. I love painting more than anything else. Time disappears when I'm painting.
What brought you to Santa Cruz?
I came to Felton when I married my husband Rob Martin. I used to live in Sunnyvale, but when we decided to get married, I moved because of Rob's volunteer work as a member of the Felton Fire Department. He's now Deputy Chief of the department.
What’s your favorite street?
I don't have a favorite street, but I have a favorite hiking trail, which is Fall Creek.
Name something you’re excited about.
I'm excited about a new show of my art that opened this week at the Botanical Library at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. It's called “Secrets of the Forest: Portraits of Wild Mushrooms”. What a thrill to be showing my work in San Francisco, just up the road from the De Young Museum.
Name a pet peeve.
Leaf blowers. People could use brooms.
What are you reading?
I'm rereading Trollope's Palliser novels. I love Victorian novels.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in the last three years?
I've learned that at any age we can find our true work and our true path in life. In my 50s I began to paint more seriously and now I am fulfilling my heart's desire.
Recent personal food trend?
Simple food. More vegetables
