Bio
Caryn Martin is a graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art and University of Maryland, College Park. She formerly worked at The Baltimore Museum of Art and is currently teaching in Baltimore County. Solo exhibitions include "A Sense of Place" at Sheppard Art Gallery in Ellicott City and "Atmospheric Abstractions" at Creative Alliance, Baltimore. See the review at: http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=16167
Statement:
In recent years, I have attempted to utilize abstracted landscape to communicate universal experiences and emotions. For example, how does one visually communicate the human concept of gratitude, of prayer? Landscape becomes internal landscape. To me, the act of introspection mutes color and specificity. The distinction among sky, sea and land often becomes insignificant.
Visual memories and past experiences inform my work. From 1999 to 2007, I used my time spent in Umbria, Italy (1999) as a framework for my paintings, initially relying on the views from my apartment in Corciano near Perugia. I painted from the memory of the Italian landscape, with a focus on the unique color and light in Umbria. From 2007 to the present, the work came to represent states of being—the abstracted landscapes became a metaphor for internal journey instead of a record of external experience.
The Gratitude/Struggle series began during the illness of a family member. Although difficult to discern in digital images, the “black” areas in this series have many subtle shifts in color and direction, and are meant to create a feeling of darkness and confusion. The areas of light can be within grasp or, at other times, hard to reach. The Gratitude/Awakening works represented a time of indecision with intense moments of clarity. The Gratitude/Awareness pieces were meant to communicate a sense of living in a constant state of gratitude, with areas of light representing a heightened awareness. The newest works, “Prayer” and “Seeking” are paintings about the act of searching for broader understanding. In these works, the act itself serves a purpose, whether clarity is truly reached or not.
web site: www.carynmartin.com
email: caryn10700@mac.com