ART & SOUL | Artist, Chris Martin’s Fearless Exploration through Painting

BY OLIVIA DAANE

Christopher Martin is an iconoclast who passionately follows his ideas in the world of art.  HIs path differs from that of his contemporaries. After selling his first painting in 1993, Martin found a tiny space in a 1950’s building in Dallas to show his works. He firmly believed in curating the experience his buyers would have with his work. Twenty-four years later, Martin owns galleries in Dallas, Aspen and Santa Fe. He has shown in Paris, Basel and Venice, and his work is presented at art fairs nationwide. His paintings - about 5,000 of them in private collections - are shown and collected worldwide; counting former presidents, Fortune 500 corporations such as Exxon, Starbucks and Met Life, luxury hotels, and some of the finest residences featured in the pages of this magazine as collectors.

In his latest Dallas exhibition SEVENS, Martin presents a body of work that explores the spatial relations associated with the allegorical number seven. The relationship between a painting and the presence that it asserts within a space is a delicate balance. Working on a ratio of seven by seven feet, Martin diligently activates feelings and movement within his signature painting technique. 

Martin displays a dedicated work ethic and perseverance.  His mostly large-scale paintings are abstractions of nature created by controlling the medium of reverse painting on Lucite panels. Pushing countless layers of pigment and water on an impermeable surface allows him to find an organic resolution with inorganic materials. Christopher feels fortunate to make a living with his art.

Martin’s nonconformist business acuity drives him to connect with people, give back, and stay challenged, becoming an experiential brand in his own right. His work lifts spaces up, creates a distinct atmosphere and impacts the walls of his galleries and those of his collectors’ homes. His paintings are a way of connecting; new friends are formed with each transaction. In addition, Martin has assembled a team of talented individuals who bring their diverse expertise to every phase of the business. They are collaborators and trusted friends and family who work with him, not for him.  

Christopher Martin creates expressionistic interpretations of nature. In turn, his art creates a direct relationship between those who appreciate it and the artist himself. The natural phenomenon that is both captured and activated by his art is what makes Martin, and his brand, a force of nature.

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