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Jan Martin
Artist's Statement
Since childhood I have had a passion for drawing and painting, and creating in many mediums. I was fortunate to have always been supported and encouraged in the development and pursuit my creativity. My grandfather painted with the Tonal Realists under Max Meldrum and, perhaps, it is from him that my love of fine arts originated. Sadly, little of Grandfather’s work has survived, however, a few pieces remain within our family.
I was born in Melbourne and have lived in bayside suburbs all my life.
After completing my primary and secondary education at Star of the Sea College, I went on to Melbourne State College, completing a Bachelor of Education in Art and Design. I later taught many aspects of art, mainly in Catholic Secondary schools in Melbourne. I loved my teaching, both Secondary and later Tertiary. These days, I enjoy working in my wonderful attic studio in the lovely suburb of Elsternwick Melbourne, with birds in the trees for company.
I have been a member of many art groups in Melbourne. I am currently the Vice-President of the Watercolour Society of Victoria and the Watercolour Society of Australia and I thoroughly enjoy working with and contributing to these groups. I am also an exhibiting member of A.G.R.A. in Camberwell, and The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
I have exhibited in many group Shows and I have had 4 Solo Exhibitions and have been fortunate to win a number of awards at Melbourne and Victorian Art Shows.
Whilst my major passion is to paint in watercolour, I also work in other media, including acrylic, pastel and gouache. I also enjoy producing mixed media or montage pieces. I also make paper and make my own books which become art works or travel journals.
It is exciting to work in a variety of media and attempt to capture the essence of my subject matter, ranging from impressionist realism to more abstract concepts analyzing the underlying structure of shape and form.
Another of my passions is Travel, and I have done so extensively within Australia and overseas. This has exposed me to a wide range of environments, and I have developed a love of landscape painting in which I attempt to capture the unique elements of each scene.
Two common themes in my work are Outback Australia, into which I have made many journeys, and coastal scenes. My passion for landscape painting also stems from my love of nature, my love of being outdoors, bushwalking, canoeing and cross-country skiing. My outback travels through the Kimberley, the Simpson Desert, the Pilbara, the Gulf country and Cape York Peninsula have provided me with the opportunity to paint ‘en plein-air’, and collect invaluable resources for my studio work.
I have strong family ties in the Lakes Entrance area and a have holiday house and studio right on the lake there. I spend a lot of my time in and around this area. I delight in sketching and painting the fishing boats, the wharves and the activity, as well as the beaches and coastal scenes in the area. It is a particularly beautiful area to capture the changing weather and light conditions.
In my coastal paintings, I like to interpret the light on the water where reflections abound. In general I use a broad free brush technique, but also try to identify the finer points of detail in the landscapes. I enjoy drawing out the often stark contrasts in tone and texture when painting the fishing boats. Capturing the light is a key focal point of my painting, especially the interplay of light and shadow, and light, water and reflections. The influence of the angle of the sun on the ambient light and its consequent effect on subtlety and intensity of colour are consistent themes in my work.
On the other hand, my outback landscapes, in particular the aerial views, are often more abstracted to reflect my personal interpretation of the landscape. These paintings evoke the subtle beauty of the colours, patterns and textures of the landscape. While the palette range is often reduced, I like to allow the rich hues and textures of the land to tell the story of the particular landscape. This approach often challenges the viewer to make his/her own interpretation of the scene.
The Studio door is always open, beckoning me and my paint box and easel are always ready to go.
Artist’s C. V.
1999Solo exhibition - Woodsedge Gallery, Lakes Entrance
2000 Solo exhibition - Theatreworks Foyer Gallery, St Kilda
2001 Solo exhibition - Theatreworks Foyer Gallery, St Kilda
1999 - 2002 Exhibited Mentone-Mordialloc Art Show - 1st Prize (watercolour)
1999 - 20010 Exhibited Lakes Entrance Rotary Art Show
3 First Prizes (watercolour and works on paper)
Other prizes for acrylics and pastel works
Acquisitive prize winner - 2001 (watercolour)
Featured artist 2007 – Highly Commended
2000 - 2010 Exhibited St Kevin's Art Show
2000 - 2001 Exhibited Victorian Artists Society
2002 Member of a group exhibition at Spinnaker Gallery, Paynesville
2002-4 Exhibited with the Pastel Society of Victoria
2000-4 Exhibited Paynesville Apex Club Art Show
2004-2010 Exhibited in the Bayside Art Show
2002-2007 Exhibited Camberwell Rotary Art Show
2005-10 Exhibited Continental Hotel – Sorrento: Art Prize & Exhibitions
2006-2010 Exhibited in the Mt. Waverley Art Show
2007 9 Exhibited in the Nowa Nowa Nudes
2007-8 Exhibited in The Victorian Watercolour Society:
Kenneth Jack Memorial Award Exhibition
2010 Exhibited in The Australian Watercolour Society:
Kenneth Jack Memorial Award Exhibition
2007 Solo exhibition at Wine Justice Gallery, Sandringham
2008 Exhibition at A.G.R.A. Galleries, Camberwell
2008 Group Exhibition at Synergy Gallery, Northcote
2009 ‘ En plein Air ‘ Art Competition Won 2nd Prize
2010 ‘En plein Air’ Art Competition Highly Commended
2008-9 Group Watercolour Exhibition – Without Pier Gallery
2010 Group Watercolour Exhibition – Without Pier Gallery, Glen Eira Arts Centre
2007 Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors Annual Exhibition
2008 Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors Annual Exhibition
Glen Eira Arts Centre
2009 Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors Centenary Exhibition
Glen Eira Arts Centre
2009 Included in the Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors : Centenary Book Publication
2009.10 Strathcona Art Show at Tay Creggan on the Yarra
2010 Flinders Art Show
Memberships:
2007 -10 Member , Watercolour Society of Victoria
2008.2010 Vice president, Watercolour Society of Victoria
2010 Vice president, Water colour Society of Australia
2007-10 Member, A.G.R.A. Australian Guild of Realist Artists
2007-10 Member, Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors
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contact Jan through her website or Teenageland.net, links below
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