Jean Martin is an artist who works with watercolour, acrylic, mixed media and collage.
She plays the delicacy and brilliance of watercolour against the depth and texture of mixed media
The components of her still lives are connected by association, driven by symbolism, geography or a personal concept.
Her landscapes and interiors spring from a remembered response
Born in Glasgow, Scotland and studied Drawing and Painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1964 -68.
While there I won a scholarship to Hospitalfield School of Art and a number of awards including the final year drawing prize.
I then undertook postgraduate teacher training at Aberdeen, gaining distinctions in teaching practice and academic studies and taught in secondary schools for a number of years.
While bringing up my children (both artists now!) I taught part-time in Forgan Art Centre in Newport on Tay, and tried to keep my work ticking over. No mean feat!
As my children grew older I was able to devote more time to painting. I spent many years working in pure watercolour, and still love the delicacy and vibrancy of that medium.
I was invited to write a book, ‘Structure and Expression for Flowers in Watercolour’ which was published in 2003.
I then started to explore mixed media, and now, within my paintings, I play the brilliancy and delicacy of watercolour against the surface texture of acrylic and collage.
Since 1995 I have taught Fine Art, part-time, in Dundee College and spend the rest of my time painting.
My painting is a reaction to observation, whether it is within still life or landscape.
I work with the intention of creating a response to my experience. I am fascinated by the way light affects the surface on which it plays. Whether it is on a delicate flower head or the stone of a church pillar, the fleeting impermanence and the vibrant or subtle illumination is a constant source of delight to me.
I paint using watercolour and mixed media and collage, often layering and working back into the image until I arrive at the surface and structure I am after.
Freedom and form are the two dynamics that inform my work. I love the freedom and translucence of watercolour and the rich textural possibilities of mixed media.
I often use the chaos of plant form and the decorative surface of textiles within my painting.
I usually work from life, but when dealing with landscape, I work from drawings and recorded images.
The pictorial content of my paintings may have symbolic, historical or geographical associations and may or may not be set in a spatial context.