File 6491-21 - Summer

Marta Goertzen-Armin was born to the Goertzen family on their farm in Chortitz, Manitoba in 1923. She married James Jay Armin in 1941, and they eventually moved to Toronto due to his job. The couple had four children; Marta first began sketching in order to illustrate their school projects. When the children had all grown up and moved out, Marta travelled to New York and attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School to study drawing, painting, and design. When she returned to Toronto, she studied at the Toronto Artists Workshop. After undergoing open heart surgery later in her life, Marta began sketching with her left hand, with the aim of strengthening muscles that had weakened. Marta and James eventually moved into the Elm Grove Living Centre in Toronto, Ontario, where they lived together until James’ death in 2008. Marta died the following year in 2009.