A figurative piece around the theme of the consumption of art in modern society. The image portrays the hidden world of a rather austere gallery with figures in the background variously looking at the artwork on the walls. Central and front is a figure busily engaged in something else, presumably cleaning the floor. 40.5 x 55.5, NFS at present.
Martin is an ex-firefighter turned artist. After more than 30 years in the fire & rescue service, during which time his painting was a perfect antidote to the stresses of his operational working life, he committed himself fully to developing his art and has spent the last 14 years finding his distinctive artistic voice.
Mainly an artist in oils Martin’s output can be diverse & wide-ranging. Apart from his current focus on still life it includes landscapes & urban scenes to more figurative/abstract work and portraiture, but whatever the subject matter his painterly style is characterized by a trademark vibrancy of colour and attention to fine detail, sometimes accompanied by a slightly surreal twist.
“Painting for me is a kind of ecstasy, an intense & personal struggle to bring to life a private world of accumulated memories & images. It’s often exhausting and exhilarating at one and the same time but it also acts as a balm, calming my soul like nothing else.
Inspiration for my artwork is often twofold; my emotional response to words and, visually, the effects of light on colour and form. Direct influences and inspiration for specific paintings often arise from images (or even words or phrases – especially from poetry) in current affairs and the world around me. This is especially so if they strike a chord with my own past or trigger distant personal memories.
I try to use my sense of colour and love of form to raise the spirits. One of my abiding hopes is that, like music, art can serve to engender a greater sense of wellbeing – in observer and creator alike. I believe art at its best can be a simple, joyful experience as well as a vehicle for asking more difficult & fundamental questions about the human experience.”
He is a member of the Visual Artists’ Association and a founder member of the Derbyshire Artists’ Guild and in 2020 his work was selected for show in both The Harley Gallery Open and the prestigious ING Discerning Eye exhibitions.
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