"The pandemic period posed many shared challenges, and I chose to respond to the darkness of the experience by making paintings that are abundant with plants, foliage, light, and color. I wanted my studio to be a place of optimism and benevolence, from where I could put out positive images into the world. The studio also shares property with an urban farm, so the incremental changes of the plants became a daily observation and focus, and this may well have subconsciously permeated these paintings".


Founded in 1969, Stremmel Gallery is located in a 6,500 square-foot, architecturally award-winning building in Reno’s Midtown District.

Sue Greenwood Fine Art
January 14th to February 27th

Much of my recent work has featured images of boats and houses that perhaps reflect on life’s transitions, arrivals, and moorings. In response to the darkness of the last year, some of the boat shapes have morphed into bowls containing plants, the exuberant foliage suggesting growth, possibility, and optimism.

I'm honored to have this second solo show at SGFA, and greatly appreciate their work and support. Around ten paintings will be in the exhibition, and I do hope you get a chance to visit the gallery.

Sue Greenwood Fine Art
330 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I am thrilled to have several large paintings in this exhibition curated by SLATE Art at SBHG Gallery at Cornerstone in Sonoma. It's exciting to be getting work out into the world of physical spaces and viewers! Please come out to see it if you possibly can.

Open Wednesday to Sunday 11-5pm, and by appointment.
Cornerstone, 23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476.
Contact: Robin Reiners 707.356.3570

Hello Friends
I currently have some paintings on show at Stremmel Gallery in Reno, NV. It's always an honor to have my work on display at this wonderful and acclaimed gallery, and I really appreciate their support.

Stremmel Gallery specializes in contemporary paintings, drawings, and sculptures by mid-career and established American and European artists. Founded in 1969, Stremmel Gallery is located in a 6,500 square-foot, architecturally award-winning building in Reno’s Midtown District.
The current main gallery show is "The Figure in Transition", by Linda Christensen.

As always, thank you for your continued interest and support!

I'm thrilled that my exhibition "Islands in the Stream" is opening this week at Sue Greenwood Fine Art in Laguna Beach, CA.

My work comes from thoughts about people and places; about permanence and impermanence; about notions of home and belonging. These thoughts are depicted in images that combine simple representations, layered abstractions, and plain-spoken materials.

I’m always fascinated by people’s relationship with the land and time - how the landscape becomes a record of people’s movements and stories. Especially the way that the things we regard as solid and permanent are actually temporary, in flux, and part of a continuum much larger than ourselves.
 
Much of my recent work ponders life's transitions, and features images of boats, houses, and travelers, reflecting on life’s journeys, arrivals, and moorings.

The show features fifteen paintings, mostly made in the last two years, and the gallery is currently open for socially responsible viewing. Also showing concurrently - work by the always fascinating Arizona artist John Randall Nelson.

I'm delighted and honored to have my painting, A New Perspective, on show at the 2021 Crocker Kingsley exhibition.

The Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition was first juried in 1940, and over the past 80 years, this prestigious show has included many premier names in American and California art, including Robert Arneson, Elmer Bischoff, David Gilhooly, Gregory Kondos, Mel Ramos, Ruth Rippon, and Wayne Thiebaud. In the past, this competition has featured solely California artists. However, starting this year the exhibition was open to submissions from all artists nationally. Works selected by this year’s juror, Carrie Lederer, is on display in all four galleries at Blue Line Arts in Roseville, CA.

Exhibition dates: January 8th to February 20th.
Virtual reception: Saturday, January 16th at 3pm.
Register for the virtual reception and vote for People's Choice at Blue Line Arts.

The year 2020 has pushed many people apart and tested our resolve. But it also stretched our imaginations and made us dig deeper. For artists it meant fewer opportunities to share their work, but perhaps more time in the studio to work through ideas or simply follow a loose thread. In a sense, quarantine stopped time – but it couldn’t keep our creative minds from racing.

Wild Tangents is a bi-coastal exhibition curated by Caetlynn Booth (New York) and Ann Trinca (San Francisco) that looks at recent work from artists who have tuned into inspiration from unexpected places. A “wild tangent” can be a mere distraction, or a journey from which you never return. The artists in this exhibition have reached into a swirling hive of current events and wrestled with unprecedented concepts. The exhibition will appear online on the curators’ websites. In addition, the East Coast show will be on view by appointment at the gallery at Reservoir Studios (659 Woodward Av, Ridgewood, NY).

Hi Friends
I hope you're faring well. It seems a little redundant to comment on the unprecedented times we find ourselves in right now, but I do sincerely hope you are all faring well.

News

This new stripped down and simplified life has led to some very productive spells in the studio, and you can see the resulting paintings here. Having previously had several gallery shows cancelled, I can share some more positive exhibition news below.

It seems like this is a time for being patient, and working as deeply as possible with the things you have available, and I'm grateful to be in a position to do that.

Stay safe and well friends, and thanks as always for your interest and support,

Martin

Hi Friends
I hope you're all healthy and safe in this challenging time, and that you're keeping a good perspective on our shared situation. As we are all doing, I am making some changes to my activities and plans, so I want to tell you about them.

A New Page
The vast majority of art sales I make are through the much appreciated galleries and art-consultants that I work with - I rarely sell pieces directly and usually I don't actively promote doing so. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an abrupt halt to most gallery activity, exhibitions have been cancelled or postponed, and other projects are on hold. For that reason I have launched the purchase page you see in the menu bar above - it's not a "shop", but an invitation to contact me if you are interested in purchasing work. Hopefully you already know that my work ranges from inexpensive small prints to giant commissions!

All indications suggest that what was already a tough time for galleries and artists (my one solo show of last year was cancelled when the gallery lost their lease to gentrification) is about to get tougher, so I urge you, if you're able, to support any artist or you follow or check in with a gallery you're a fan of.

Exhibitions

• The Left Coast Annual show at Sanchez Art Center is sadly cancelled. There will be an online virtual version of this diverse and excellent group show curated by Carin Adams, Curator of Art at The Oakland Museum of California.

• The show Home at Elder Gallery, Charlotte, NC, in which I have a number of paintings is now postponed until fall 2020. I was due to do a residency there in May and construct a gallery installation for the show - I am hoping this will still go ahead at a future date.

• My two person show at Sue Greenwood Fine Art in Laguna Beach is still scheduled to open August 20th.

The Upside
This is a great opportunity to hunker down in my studio and be productive! I've been painting a lot this year already and expect to do a lot more the next few months. I'll update the website with new pieces as they emerge, and you can always keep an eye on what I'm up to via Instagram or my less-used Facebook.

Thanks as always for your ongoing interest and support - its always appreciated!
Stay safe and well,

Martin

Hello Friends – I hope your 2020 has started well. I have some news of shows coming up this year.
 
Left Coast Juried Annual
Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA
Reception April 10th, 7-9pm
 
The painting below will be included in this annual group show at Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica. This year’s show was juried by Carin Adams, Curator of Art at Oakland Museum of California, and will show 50 artworks selected from 980 entries.

Ian’s Place, 2018, 48 x 96, is based on a photograph plus the recollected image of an old friend’s small mid-century house located where the forest meets the beach on a secluded stretch of New Zealand coast.
 
 
Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art
Charlotte, NC
Opening reception May 14th
 
I’m excited to be starting work with this gallery which mixes an established heritage with a great vision for it’s future work. In this four-artist group show that contemplates concepts of home, I'll be contributing some recent paintings and a large installation that I will build on-site in the gallery in May.
www.eldergalleryclt.com
 

Sue Greenwood Fine Art
Laguna Beach, CA
August/September
 
SGFA is another gallery that I’ll be working with for the first time. This will be a two person show alongside an artist who’s work I’ve admired for years. I’m really looking forward to announcing details closer to the time!
www.suegreenwoodfineart.com

 
As always, I appreciate your continued interest and support,

Martin