Martin Garcia | Chicago, Illinois USA
Born in Chicago in 1975 I began showing my artwork in 1996 which was my final year at the American Academy of Art (AAA). I had two exhibitions that year, one at the DePaul University Gallery and one at the Bill Parks gallery. Both of these shows consisted of work done collaboratively with another artist. I have shown regularly since 1996 in both Chicago IL and Hammond IN. I am currently represented by “The Oscar Friedl Gallery” and the “Mars Gallery” in Chicago, and in Hammond IN by “Uncle Freddy”. At the Mars Gallery, I have had three solo exhibitions of paintings, drawings and two video installations. I also had a one-man exhibition, in the main gallery space, at “Uncle Freddy” gallery which consisted of work that utilized a process of layering stencils on paper. I have received a grant to help produce promotional material for my”1000 Portrait Project” and most recently I have concentrated on the work seen within this portfolio.
My paintings have mainly dealt with relationships between people; the boundaries they create and sometimes transgress. I also view the internal relationship with oneself with just as much relevance. My work has approached this with watercolor and gouache paintings on paper with an importance on drawing. The drawing underneath the painting becomes lost and found throughout the piece, as bits of the narrative get covered up the viewer fills in the gaps. I approach these pieces with a loose and urgent style conveying a familiarity to the viewer even though they may not have seen my work in the past. To accomplish this I utilize abstraction, a narrative, art history and my unique drawing style. The work sits on the wall unassuming from a distance, although intriguing, these works have simplicity about them at first glace. The works begin to unfold content and questions arise as one spends time with each piece.
