About Me

Artist Statement

The work I create is a reflection and recreation of the emotions and experiences I have personally faced. It serves as a way of self actualization that looks into my past and present. It is a continuous body of work that is embodied through the use of paintings. However, the main focus of my work is to invite viewers to look within themselves and to question their own emotions and experiences. By doing so, I encourage change and reflection in individuals and communities.My work moves between realism and abstraction, informed by my childhood & adulthood. It touches on dual emotions of trauma and love, sadness and happiness. The subject of my work varies from having both human forms and not having human forms. By doing so I can provide a variety of different experiences and moments I have come across. Whether that be time spent with friends or family, or the times I am alone in a crowded city or in the quietness of nature. I focus on the relationships between figures, the atmosphere of the environment, and the emotional weight of the moment. The work becomes an act of remembering, where the goal is not photographic accuracy but emotional authenticity.The materiality of my work is just as important as my subjects. To correctly portray them, I utilize oil paint, which provides a wide range of hue and dimensionality. I work off of direct and indirect observation, but accentuate lighting, value, and hue to push and pull varying emotions. In my application of material I use alla prima, incorporating impasto textures to make unique expressive marks to add depth. In addition, I also paint on wood panels because it provides a smoother surface for looser brush work which visually captures emotions and the feeling of remembrance. Together, my use of materiality finds a balance between my use of subjects.My work incorporates different experiences and emotions, reconstructing my own personal recollections of memories and events. The creation of my work is a form of documentation, providing myself and others a way to indulge in a broader sense of vulnerability, and human connection. Through my work, viewers can take a form of activism changing their own life and the lives of those around them.

Bio

Audra M. Martin is an artist from a small rural town named Coalinga located in the central valley of California. Her work primarily tackles explaining her views of the world around her through the use of different mediums. It is an explorative approach that can push and pull different emotions through the use of color, value, and form. These mediums range from paintings to drawings. She recently graduated California State University Stanislaus with a B.A in Studio Art. Currently she is focused on making new work to share with more individuals and communities.

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