UNFRAMED: AMERICA MARTIN
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
Cover: America Martin, Boys Converse Under Trees, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 60 in.
UNFRAMED: AMERICA MARTIN
Spring 2022 3 4 6 N O R T H C O A S T H W Y, L A G U N A B E A C H, C A WWW.JOANNEARTMANGALLERY.COM JOANNEARTMAN@AOL.COM 949.510.5481
UNFRAMED JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present, Unframed, an exhibition of both new and retrospective work rooted in America Martin’s investigation of the human experience. Featuring a selection of unframed pieces, Unframed explores both the literal boundaries and conceptual confines that Martin’s practice defies. Bursting with life, form, and color, Martin seeks to expand upon themes of self-exploration and transcending limitations. From paintings that inherently do not require framing, to works on paper that have not yet been framed, this exhibition invites the viewer to engage with Martin’s art in an organic, visceral way. Prioritizing the figure as a central focal point throughout her career, Martin’s imagery is allegorical, familiar, and above all, hopeful. Exhilaratingly fluid and densely rich, the works examine the principles of figuration, portraiture, and the body’s environments. Optimistic in her strokes, omnipresent throughout the narrative, and original in her inspirations, Martin reimagines her preferred subjects of reclined women amidst nature and performing musicians. Maintaining her signature bold line and massive, solid figures across a variety of mediums, Martin’s emotive marks are an assimilation of light, pigment, movement, and an incomparable emphasis on storytelling.
Through radical forms and an unmistakable aesthetic sensibility, Martin experiments with line weight and function as a tool for two dimensional representation of three dimensionality. Creating a new balance between solidity, mass, and suggestion, thick lines are filled with the bubbling energy of thin, long scrapes throughout their length – adding both intensity and depth. New modes of expression emerge from continued internal and formal investigations, informed and characterized by Martin’s Colombian heritage with a focus on the anecdotal and symbolic. AMERICA MARTIN (b. 1980, Los Angeles, CA) is a Colombian American fine artist based in Los Angeles, CA.
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.
Women Eat Sardines Fresh and Say Delicious, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 60 x 60 in.
Woman Rests by the Fruit Tree, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 50 x 50 in.
Black Irises, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 77 x 58 in.
Woman by the Sea at Low Tide, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 70 x 60 in.
Women with Palm Fronds, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 50 x 72 in.
Make A Fire & Pick a Plum, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 72 x 60 in.
Three Horns, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36 in.
Woman in Blue, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 36 in.
Phone Booth Man, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 85.5 x 67.5 in.
Day by the Sea, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 80 in.
Woman Under Leaves- Warm and Cool, Acrylic on Linen, 37.5 x 73.5 in.
Tulips + Toothpicks + Snail, Ink on Paper, 49.5 x 44 in.
Women with Branches Dance Triptych, Acrylic on Linen, 52 x 21.5 in. Each | 52 x 64.5 in. Overall
Music Man Triptych, Acrylic on Linen, 52 x 21.5 in. Each | 52 x 64.5 in. Overall
Woman with White Gardenia, Acrylic on Linen, 49.5 x 49.5 in.
Woman- Butterfly & Flower, Acrylic on Linen, 49.5 x 49.5 in.
Published in conjunction with the exhibition: UNFRAMED: America Martin Spring 2022 JoAnne Artman Gallery 326 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 346 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 511A W 22nd St, New York, NY 10011
Catalogue © JoAnne Artman Gallery Artwork © America Martin