America Martin

Background

America was born in Los Angeles in 1980 to a family of artists. Her uncle is painter Knox Martin, her mother an academic, and her siblings all went on to pursue careers in the arts

Career

Referring to herself as a painting anthropologist, her primary subject is the human form. Her distinctive style mixes abstract and indigenous motifs and is often compared to the mid-century masters. She credits her Columbian roots for her aesthetic and tastes.

At the age of nine, she came across a book on Vincent van Gogh and began to draw.

Shortly thereafter, she began an eight year apprenticeship with Vernon Wilson who was a professor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She also worked briefly as an actress, notably as Patsy in Disney"s The Rocketeer.

During her fifteen year practice, she has worked in a variety of media including painting, drawing and sculpting in steel and aluminum. Perhaps her most iconic work is her large format paintings of nudes.

Of these works, art critic Stacy Davies wrote, “Martin’s women are hyper-real… They are solid, immovable, inerasable.

They are present. They cannot be dominated, but not because they are angry or violent or ugly, but because they are stoic and centered and complete.” In addition to her female nudes, Martin’s subjects include jazz musicians, street scenes, landscapes and still lives. Martin’s process is intrinsic to the work itself.

She uses her whole body when painting, using the length of her arms to control the strokes.

Her move to a new studio in Silverlake in 2009 allowed her to refine her process and experiment with a variety of new media. lieutenant has and continues to act as a venue to host a variety of cultural events that support artist and community. She traditionally works in collectionspainting and drawing a unique body of work distinct to the location of the exhibition.

Martin has been shown and collected internationally.

In 2002, she had her first solo show in Beverly Hills and has since been exhibiting in solo and group shows. In 2009, she received a residency with the Walter Anderson Museum of Art with a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

She has been represented in Austin, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York City, Ontario, Santa Barbara, Taos and Maine. She is currently working on a multimedia show about her native Los Angeles for 2014.

Los Angeles I"m Yours - A Life In Painting: An Interview With America Martin - October 2013

Camden Herald - “America’s take on Maine” August 2013

Maine Today - “Work, Dignity, and Beauty: Q&A with America Martin” August 2013

TheCultCollective.com - “Cult Obsessed: America Martin” July 2013

Racked Los Angeles - “Dan Deutsch Optical Taps Top Los Angeles Artisans for New Campaign” May 2013

Los Angeles Confidential - “Real Los Angeles Beauties” May 2013

Fundschau - “America Martin” September 2012

The Sche Report - “Studio Visit with Artist America Martin” August 2012

Culture Map Austin - “Artist America Martin returns to Austin.." May 2012

OC Weekly - “America Martin Accepts Number Substitutes” March 2012.

Achievements

• Meanwhile, attending Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, California.