Lisa Martin

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artist statement

My work focuses on symbolism to portray a message and to examine social issues, relationships, and ideas in an abstract visual way. The use of strong color, as well as the choice of color, plays a fundamental role in communicating with the viewer, as do specific mark making techniques. Reality is distorted , adding another layer of meaning to the interrelationship between the painting and the social issue, event, or state I am responding to.

My current interest in painting examines the relationship between biblical reference from the past and modern times, focusing specifically on issues of health such as cancer and aids, as well as environmental collapse. My other related study is the experience of mental illness from within the mind of the affected person. Using abstraction adds to the experience of a distorted reality.

It is my wish that when viewing my paintings, the viewer is struck initially with a strong emotional reaction, followed by a secondary need to understand the relationship between the title and reference of the painting, to what is before them.

selected biography

Lisa Martin is a visual artist living in Amherst, Nova Scotia. Her primary media is acrylic on canvas as well as working in porcelain clay. Her artwork has been featured in Saltscapes Magazine, the Chronicle Herald and the Amherst Daily News. She has held solo exhibits in Amherst, has participated in many juried exhibits in the Nova Scotia and the New Brunswick region, and has an upcoming solo exhibit at the Dieppe City Hall Gallery. Lisa is currently teaching visual arts at Tantramar Regional High School in Sackville, New Brunswick. Her art practice currently investigates the interrelationship between parts of the Bible, in particular Revelations, and the decay of the environment. In addition she is working on a series, Bipolar Rhapsody, that describes in a visual abstract way the experience of a distorted reality. Lisa hopes to begin an MFA in the near future.