Michener Art Museum

Pat Martin


Pat Martin, photograph by Gilbert Kulish, 1993, photo courtesy of the artist
PAINTER
BORN: September 26, 1934, Los Angeles, California

My paintings and drawings are about the process of creation and its endless possibilities. I try to merge or partner with a variety of materials and techniques to create my own visual language.

Each work lives in its own world, replete with problems to solve and discoveries to be made. I find that subliminal and intuitive decisions are often more revealing than planned ones. Currently, I am working with strata, taking care to prepare the surface of the board or canvas with collage or plaster, etc. I then pour thinned oil paint, let it dry, and paint or draw into the layered surface. Flexibility is key and many adjustments to the emerging composition take place. Mark making of all kinds, gestural line and simplified imagery have recently taken precedence over color.

I now live in a wooded setting in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I am surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature. In addition, technology and science are revealing more of the intricacies of plants, animals and the cosmos. My new work is reflecting this inspiration.

Pat Martin, 2010

Bucks County abstract painter Pat Martin describes her work as intuitive and investigative. Her paintings are usually oil on canvas or board and include elements of drawing. Early in her career Martin worked on mylar, then in thin washes of color. More recently she has concentrated on spatial relationships and texture. She applies paint using brushes, brayers, spatulas, marble dust, tar, and pouring techniques to create layers of paint. She then removes top layers to reveal passages below. Martin's process, highly personal and subjective, is concerned with textural surfaces as a way of expressing a feeling. The process is spontaneous, and reflects a spiritual awareness.
Born and educated in California, Pat Martin moved with her family to the New Hope area in the late 1960s. Since 1977, she has had many solo exhibitions and has participated in more than sixty group exhibitions, including the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Newark Museum, Ellerslie and the Noyes Museum.