Jane Martin

"Painting is an act of faith.

In approaching the white canvas, I open myself to a meditative state which allows color and form to rush in organically. This creates a ‘base’ which is ultimately transformed but which lays an important groundwork for the layers that follow. 

 I subsequently paint or scrap over existing layers multiple times, leaving traces of what has come before. The resulting surfaces create a seemingly direct connection with nature, however abstract at times. Recurring motifs—vortices, orbs, crossings, and horizon-like expanses—operate as structural and energetic devices rather than symbols. Often there are references to the natural world, a ‘collaborator’ in my process.

 For me, art is a spiritual practice, grounded in intuition. My body and consciousness are the vessel through which creative energies flow. I know that a painting is finished when I am filled with joy."

Jane Martin is an award-winning multi-media artist whose career spans many decades. Her work has been exhibited in numerous museums, art fairs and galleries in New York City, the Hamptons, Miami, Santa Fe, Dallas, Los Angeles, Australia and Europe – including solo exhibitions at Guild Hall Museum and Islip Art Museum, where a dedicated catalogue accompanied her Closer Farawayseries.

Born in Brooklyn, in Martin’s third year of university studies she was chosen to participate in a fine arts study-abroad program in Tours, France, under the direction of Erik Koch, former student of and assistant to abstract expressional Hans Hofmann. She subsequently spent 13 years in Europe where life in another culture with proximity to European art collections became a watershed in her life. Eventually returning to New York City she established an art studio on the Lower East Side, pursuing abstract painting as well as developing a unique approach to video stills. In 2004 she moved to East Hampton, her home/studio located on 26 acres in Springs on the former estate of designer Ward Bennett. There, surrounded by and influenced by nature, she continues to paint and photograph.

Martin’s work is held in significant institutional collections including the Parrish Art Museum and Guild Hall Museum, as well as in numerous private and corporate collections across North America and Europe. She is the recipient of multiple art awards and fellowships.