Ida Isabel Martin was born in Brisbane on 29 May 1906, the second child and eldest daughter of the family of three sons and five daughters of William Henry Martin and his wife Isabella Susan née Laking. Her father was headmaster at the Oakey State School for many years. She was educated in Brisbane and the Ipswich Grammar School and subsequently became an apprentice teacher and trained in country areas. She taught at the Ascot State School from 1934 and from 1942 she began giving creative art classes there. She taught art subjects full-time from 1945 and later at the Kedron Park Teachers College. She started classes with L. J. Harvey at the Central Technical College in 1935 and when he set up art and craft classes at Horsham House she continued lessons with him until 1942. She ceased attending classes at that time due to her parents’ concern at the city’s inundation with American soldiers. Harvey’s lessons included wood carving, leather work and painting. She exhibited pottery at the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association 1938-39, 1946 and 1951 – she was awarded three first prizes in 1946. She also exhibited examples of her pottery with the Royal Queensland Art Society in 1946-47 and 1955-56.

Ida Martin later studied pottery with Hatton Beck at the Central Technical College during the 1950s when she learned to throw and decorate with under-glaze colours. From 1962 until she retired in 1972 she taught painting, drawing, pottery and carving at the Kedron Park Teachers College and it was only at this stage that she learned the skills of stacking and firing kilns. She died in Brisbane on 5 April 1990.

Queensland Art Gallery: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage

Writers:

Cooke, Glenn R. Note: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery

Date written:

2003

Last updated:

2011