Jason Martin is an artist who combines sculpture and painting together, demonstrating action painting but still applying care to his art with a controlled hand. He is originally from Jersey but works between London and Portugal. I came across his work at the Frieze Art Fair in London 2013. The painting which was on display at the fair was a mixed media piece on stainless steel called Millais.
(Millais, Mixed media on stainless steel, 250 x 125cm, 2013)
What I like about this particular piece work is the use of marks and strokes to create movement and energy. Also the shiny varnish finish to the work is very eye catching as it highlights the textures within the piece. When researching his other pieces of work this themes continues expressing gestural marks and patterns. Martin is best known for his monotone paintings where layers of acrylic gel or oil are dragged across hard surfaces such as aluminium, stainless steel or Plexiglas using comb like pieces of metal or board in one single movement. I think that the marks made in his paintings are very soft and almost rhythmic with the likeness to hair or other soft materials and water.
Looking at his work he explores the themes that I am looking at within my print work; movement and textures within materials. He has influenced me to express elements of control yet still creating ideas that show movement and contrasts between texture and to also explore layering the colours I use.
