Doug Martin

 Impressionistic painting is the designing of a puzzle. Done effectively it will draw the viewer in from a distance and as the painting is approached it will deconstruct from a recognizable subject into what is seemingly a disorganized jumble of brush strokes and colors.
The importance of the big abstract shapes is paramount. The underlying abstract of good painting is as important in impressionistic representational painting as it is in purely abstract painting. The big shapes provide the structure that creates the strength and power in a piece that will allow it to read whether it is one inch, one foot or fifteen feet across.
The artist’s challenge is to continually break the big shapes down interestingly and beautifully with warms, cools, greys and pures without destroying the general value plan and simple definition of the big shapes.

A Colorado native, Doug Martin was born in Colorado Springs in 1952. He earned his photographic degree from Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs in the early seventies and worked as a fine art and commercial photographer in Denver until the late nineties. He is now based south of Denver in
Centennial, Colorado.

In 2003, at the age of fifty one, Doug Martin picked up a paintbrush for the first time. His initial attempt at painting took place during a visit with old friend and fellow artist Ralph Oberg. The opportunity that Oberg afforded Martin over that four day visit has changed his life. Since then Doug has studied with accomplished artists at the Art Students League of Denver and in numerous painting workshops across the country. His most valued artistic insight and genuine critique comes from frequent discussions with his friend and mentor Dan Beck. “I was lucky enough to meet Dan at The League in 2004. His input and interest in helping me develop my artistic vocabulary has facilitated advances in my art that reasonably could have taken much longer.” Martin’s other influences include Michael Lynch, Kathryn Stats, Nicolai Fechin and Andrew Wyeth.

Select Exhibitions
St. George Art Museum “Zion National Park: A Century of Sanctuary” 2008
Gilcrease Art Museum “American Art in Miniature 2006 & 2007
Laguna Art Museum “Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational 2006, 2007 &2008
Oil Painters of America “Central Regional Juried Exhibition” 2006 & 2007
Oil Painters of America “Annual National Juried Exhibition” 2005 & 2006
Gallery 1261 “Le Jeune Salon” 2007
Sage Creek Gallery of Sante Fe “Nomadas Del Arte” 2008

Select Awards
Arizona State Parks 50th Anniv. Oracle Park Plein Air Paint Out 2007 First Place
“Laguna Plein Air Painters Members Show 2006” First Place
“Central Coast National Fine Art Competition 2007” 2nd Place
“Tucson Plein Air 2006” Third Place
“Less is More” Laguna Plein Air Painters 2007 Honorable Mention
“Lines into Shapes” 2007 Estes Park, CO Mayor’s Choice Award

 Select Publications
Books
“A Century of Sanctuary; The Art of Zion National Park”
“Plein Air New Mexico” Jack Richeson Fine Art Series Volume 1
“Landscapes of Colorado” Fresco Fine Art Publications
“American Art Collector” Northern States Edition 2005 & 2006
Magazines
“Artist to Watch” Southwest Art Magazine October 2006