Martha J. Pfanschmidt (American / Pacific Northwest, b. 1954) was born in 1954 and has been a Pacific Northwest-based printmaker since 1982. She received her Bachelor’s from Portland State University (PSU) in 1978 and her MFA from Vermont College in 1998. Since 1983, Pfanschmidt has taught printmaking classes, workshops, and university classes throughout the Pacific Northwest, including at PSU and Marylhurst University. Pfanschmidt specializes in encaustic monotype printmaking and collage. Her work is inspired by both the natural world and our inner consciousness. She uses beauty to produce “the symbolic life made conscious” and “images that define a silent optimism.” Her work has been exhibited across the US and internationally and won many awards.