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Lancaster man's exhibit features abstract landscapes, among others

September 19, 2006|JENNIFER BRUMMETT

Paul Martin's artwork is a study in variety: mediums, elements, dimensions.

In his artist's statement, he says his drawings and paintings are mixed media - "for no particular reason, they just turn out that way from the paints, pastels, pencils, charcoals, etc. that I have available," it reads.

It says some of his works can be described as abstract landscapes.

"An abstract landscape would include elements found in representational landscapes - like a line indicating horizon, or other transitional areas between earth and sky, but the elements may not all be representational," Martin explains. "Parts of some of my drawings may include representational shapes related to sky for example, such as stars.

"There are all kinds of landscapes around us: interior ones, the views through windows - rectangles - where the window sill may be considered the transition from earth to sky or above ground. We live in and see life through landscapes framed by our vision all the time. Seeing the earth from an aircraft is quite an abstract view which changes as the aircraft changes height. Such views influenced some of the earlier pieces in the exhibit, while in later drawings and paintings the landscape boundaries dissolve."

The exhibit of Martin's work at the Community Arts Center, titled "Works on Paper," came about after a friend rummaged through his storage area to look at his work.

"The next day she made an appointment for me with the director of the Community Arts Center, Wilma Brown. Wilma scheduled September for the exhibit of my work," he notes.

Martin has lived in Kentucky since 1998. He works in carpentry and painting and makes drawings and other works of art. Before moving to the commonwealth, he lived and worked in New York City from 1968 through 1997, making painting and drawings and working in painting and carpentry there.

He studied with Ray Parker, Robert Morris, John McCracken, Thornton Willis and Linda Nochlin, among others, all of whom influenced his approach to drawing and painting.

In 1988, Martin painted a wall installation that was part of a commission of artist Mel Bochner at the IBM corporate headquarters in Somers, N.Y.

"The wall installation was painted directly on walls. Routed in the walls were grooves that made a grid and I painted the elements of this grid mapped out by artist Mel Bochner, whose artwork it was and who hired me to do the wall painting part of his installation. He painted canvases that were later hung over the colored grid walls," Martin said.

Martin works continues to work both in three-dimensional and two-dimensional art. "Some of the pieces I am making now are three-dimensional wall pieces - they have objects in them. One painting in the show has a rectangular frame in it. I make paintings and drawing which may or may not have objects in them," he says.

Although no exhibits are lined up after "Works on Paper," Martin says he'd like to show more of his artwork in the area "when I feel I have the right body of work ready."

"I'd even like to do another retrospective approach with just paintings - which are more landscape-like. I still work with many mediums. Sometime I'd like to teach drawing again," he adds. And he hopes viewers of "Works on Paper" leave with a particular idea.

"I would like people to come away from the exhibit thinking they would like to live with my art."

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