Nudes, Musicians, and Other Figures Populate America Martin’s New Paintings at Joanne Artman Gallery

Karen Kedmey Feb 2, 2015 7:44AM

“When someone asks, what are you inspired by, I usually say, ‘what am I not inspired by?’” says Colombian-American painter and sculptor America Martin. Driven by a mixture of intuition—she once said her canvases “tell me what to paint”—and planning, she makes bold, vivid works, almost always centered upon human figures. In a new exhibition of paintings at Joanne Artman Gallery, “How The Sun Goes,” Martin presents her vibrant cast of characters in bright, joyful compositions.

Her hometown of Los Angeles, and the vibrant diversity of its population, moves her. When about town, she takes mental snapshots of the people she sees all around her, and then transfers the sights stored in her head onto paper and canvas. She also paints people she knows, transforming both strangers and acquaintances alike into the blocky, heavily outlined, flattened figures populating her compositions. A selection of her most recent paintings—featuring such enduring motifs as female nudes, musicians, and portraits of indigenous peoples—comprise her new exhibition.

“When you’re looking at someone, you know, you can obviously draw what the person looks like. But when you get to see [that] there’s an essence of the person’s character, then that’s the fun for an artist, to […] try to actually capture that,” Martin once explained. The visual traditions of modernism and Colombian folk art inflect her compositions, in which contemporary, early 20th-century, and pre-Columbian styles and techniques meet.

For example, in the oil and acrylic painting from which her exhibition takes its title, How the Sun Goes, the flattened, linear profiles of three women are arrayed, overlapping, across the picture plane. Described in thick outlines, the women’s heads and torsos are shaded in deep pink; their breasts are formed of vigorously drawn concentric circles, and kinks in their hair are suggested by zigzagging lines. Bright yellow dominates the painting’s background, while palm fronds line its edges. Such sunny colors and its vivacious rendering give this work abundant appeal. It is not important to know exactly who these women are—they are amalgams invented by an artist who finds beauty and interest in people from all walks of life.

Karen Kedmey

“How The Sun Goes” is on view at Joanne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, Feb. 5–Mar. 31, 2015.

https://www.artsy.net/article/editorial-nudes-musicians-and-other-figures-populate-america

JoAnne Artman Gallery, Presents:

How the Sun Goes : New Works by Colombian-American Artist America Martin

Spring 2015                                                                                                                                                                                Opening Reception: March 5th, 2015

JoAnne Artman Gallery

346 N Coast Hwy | Laguna Beach, CA 92651                                                                                                                                                                                           Contact: JoAnne Artman Telephone: 949-510-5481 | E-mail: joanneartman@aol.com                                                                                         Website: www.joanneartmangallery.com

HOW THE SUN GOES

The work of painter and sculptor America Martin is informed by both her Colombian lineage and strong affinity for modernism allowing for a dynamic interplay between cultures, styles, and techniques. These diverse influences result in an engaging body of work with universal appeal. Martin’s paintings are characterized by boldly abstracted figures, vibrant swaths of color, and powerful lines. The human form looms large in her canvases often filling the entire picture plane with its energetic forms. Though each piece is thoughtfully conceived, Martin’s work retains the rare quality of uncontrived spontaneity and vigor. The new series of works on display at the JoAnne Artman Gallery explore familiar themes and subjects within Martin’s practice – female nudes, scenes of musicians, and portraits of indigenous peoples – in oversized depictions that are both iconic and enigmatic, inviting the viewer to further inquiry.

Born in Los Angeles in 1980, Martin had an early passion for the arts, and her youth belies her extensive studio experience and training. Martin apprenticed at the Art Center College of Design from 1990-1998 before studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Today Martin’s pieces have been exhibited internationally and are held by many notable private collections. Martin continues to live and work in Los Angeles.

America Martin’s work will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize. With visual perceptions always changing, peek behind the stories told and you’re sure to find the right artistic expression!

www.joanneartmangallery.com