ARTIST

CHRISTOPHER H. MARTIN

Aspen | CO

 
 
 
 
My works are a challenge to me on many levels, I seek a balance between organic formation with a painterly construct. If I sense that it is not clear whether my work was formed from heat, air, water, or a painted expression, then I feel that the piece is a success. To find a natural sense of existence is my intention. Void of overt narrative or implied suggestions I want the atmosphere around my work to vibrate with energy and balance.

Organic Expressionism is a succinct way to describe my process. I start with a clear acrylic panel and apply heat, wind, water, brush, and pigment in reverse order to create my paintings. In reverse glass painting, the artist works from foreground to the background; the initial strokes being the most imperative and the final being of very little consequence; the inverse of a canvas.

By engaging forms of interlaced ovals, linear movements, arcs, and fields of color, I seek to produce a unique visual expression in each painting. As a botanist who crosses variant orchids to create a beautiful new strain, I fuse various applications and forms to evolve my paintings. In the end, I paint to create a strong aesthetically engaging presence that evokes a calm excitement of natural beauty.
— Chris Martin
 

BODIES OF WORKS

 
 
 

Original Paintings

Veldi | acrylic on acrylic | 96 x 96" | available Dallas Gallery

Veldi | acrylic on acrylic | 96 x 96" | available Dallas Gallery

Painted on the reverse, acrylic on acrylic paintings have been Martin's signature style for over 20 years. Honed finishing and canvas are available. Martin's work has been exhibited internationally and is widely collected.

Limited Editions

Pantheon | limited edition aluminum transfer | variable sizes

Pantheon | limited edition aluminum transfer | variable sizes

Produced under the strictest collaborative workflow, the limited edition collection features the detail of the original paintings. Museum-quality scanning techniques and state-of-the-art printing are used to produce the editions. Available in variable dimensions.

Photographic Works

Powell | limited edition metallic print | various paper available

Powell | limited edition metallic print | various paper available

Chris often makes photographic observations of natural phenomena. This exploration of colors, patterns, and shapes later gets incorporated into the studio work. The photographic collection is available in cotton and metallic papers, either framed or face-mounted on acrylic.


 

ABOUT 

 

Though his technique traces back to the 14th century, Christopher Martin’s approach to "Verre Églomisé" is entirely modern. A self-taught artist, Christopher coaxes layers of sheer pigment and water to achieve his vision — harnessing brushes, wind, heat, and gravity.

Describing his technique of painting in reverse on acrylic panels, Christopher says, "Every layer of paint has a high influence on the one behind it as opposed to a flat covering stroke. It’s often around thirty layers of paint that fuse together."

Finding inspiration in nature has fueled his motivation. Christopher explains, "When you observe the veining in a slab of marble or the alternating colors in petrified wood and other natural creations, they are all inherently poetic and attuned to the laws of abstraction. Study them closely, and you’ll identify compositions of abstraction. Being surrounded by these natural masterpieces in Colorado is a constant source of inspiration.”

As Simone Bretz, a former curator of the Munich Metropolitan Museum and noted expert in reverse glass painting states, "Well-executed reverse-glass paintings do not reveal the complexity of their manufacture. Since the designs are applied to the back of glass panes, they must be built up in reverse – starting with the foreground and working ‘backward’ which makes corrections virtually impossible.”

In the twenty years since he began painting, his works have been sought for corporate and private collections both nationally and internationally.

In 2012, he celebrated the completion and installation of a 120-ft. painting aptly titled, "Velocity," consisting of 15 consecutive panels for the Formula One Racetrack, Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas. Kidz Creations, a charity project launched in 2001 involves painting with hundreds of children over 13 years benefitting various hospitals, which exceeded the $500,000 benchmark.

 

PRESS & WRITE-UPS

 

Cavallo de Corsa | Ferrari Owners Charitable Foundation | Volume IV

The Artist | Christopher Martin

Jackson Pollock once said, "Every good painter paints what he is.” Christopher Martin embodies this statement. As a painter, philanthropist, and family man fond of the outdoors, the palpable qualities of his personality shine through in his work as clearly as the sun reflecting off the snow in winter.

At his home in Aspen, with a serene backdrop of coniferous trees, crisp air, and expansive outdoor spaces, Martin’s creative muse is the natural beauty of the land and nature itself. For Martin, passionate with his words when describing his work, inspiration comes in many forms, expressed in ethereal works of equal diversity.

“My work has been referred to as ‘organic expressionism,’ so nature has a profound aesthetic influence on my painting. If a work is successful to me it must look as much formed by nature as it was painted by hand… My Halo series evokes the droplets of rain landing on in the calmness of a
pond. Another series, Kavala, is inspired by the shadows that branches cast on the snow; Vireo, by watching the spiraling dives of raptors from the deck of my studio; and Luna is inspired by the feminine lines of a woman and the color of the moon.”

 

SHOWINGS

  • 2019 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Cirque - Houston, TX

  • 2018 Madison Ave. Gallery Grand Opening - New York, NY

  • 2018 Art New York - New York, NY

  • 2018 Art Wynwood - Miami, FL

  • 2018 Art Palm Springs - Palm Springs, CA

  • 2018 Palm Beach Modern + Contmeporary - Palm Beach, FL

  • 2017 Context Art Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2017 Art Aspen - Aspen, CO

  • 2018 Grand Expansion - Christopher Martin Gallery - Aspen, CO

  • 2017 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Aria- Houston, TX

  • 2017 Context Art New York - New York, NY

  • 2017 Art Boca Raton - Boca Raton, FL

  • 2017 Art Wynwood - Miami, FL

  • 2017 Art Palm Springs - Palm Springs, CA

  • 2016 Context Art Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2016 SOFA - Chicago, CO

  • 2016 Art Aspen - Aspen, CO

  • 2016 The La Jolla Gallery - Natural Patterns, La Jolla, CA

  • 2016 Art Hamptons - Hamptons, NY

  • 2016 Reflections - Christopher Martin Gallery - Dallas, TX

  • 2016 AD Home Design Show - New York, NY

  • 2016 Art Wynwood - Miami, FL

  • 2016 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Focus- Houston, TX

  • 2015 Context Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2015 Art San Diego - San Diego, CA

  • 2015 Art Aspen - Aspen, CO

  • 2015 Art Hamptons - Hamptons, NY

  • 2015 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Twenty Years - Houston, TX

  • 2015 Art Wynwood - Miami, FL

  • 2014 Art Aspen - Aspen, CO

  • 2014 Context Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2014 Art Hamptons - Hamptons, NY

  • 2014 Art Southampton - Southampton, NY

  • 2014 The McLoughlin Gallery - Organic Fusion - San Francisco, CA

  • 2014 Art Wynwood - Miami, FL

  • 2013 Context Art Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2013 Unique Dialogue - Galerie Mondapart - Paris, France

  • 2013 Houston Fine Art Fair - Houston, TX

  • 2013 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Luna - Houston, TX

  • 2013 Art Aspen - Aspen, CO

  • 2013 Art Southampton - Southampton, NY

  • 2013 Personal Structures Time, Space & Existence I 55th Venice Biennale I Venice, Italy

  • 2013 Scope Basel I Basel, Switzerland

  • 2013 Palette to Palate - Laguna Art Museum - Laguna, CA

  • 2013 Art Wynwood I Miami, FL

  • 2012 McLoughlin Gallery ViscosityI San Francisco, CA

  • 2012 Houston Fine Art Fair I Houston, TX

  • 2012 Laura Rathe | Opening Reception I Houston, TX

 

  • 2012 Private Exhibition I Watermill, NY

  • 2011 Opening Reception | FLOW I KM Fine Arts I Chicago, IL

  • 2010 Red Dot Miami - Miami, FL

  • 2009 Laura Rathe Fluid Dynamics - Houston, TX

  • 2009 Red Dot Fair - Miami, FL

  • 2008 Art Expo Winner Best Solo Artist - Las Vegas, NV

  • 2008 Art Now - Miami Beach, FL

  • 2008 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Houston, TX

  • 2008 Laguna Fine Art - Laguna Beach, CA

  • 2008 Alan Avery Art - Atlanta, GA

  • 2008 Phillip Morton Gallery - Rehoboth Beach, DE

  • 2008 Art Expo - New York, NY

  • 2009 Laura Rathe Fluid Dynamics - Houston, TX

  • 2009 Red Dot Fair - Miami, FL

  • 2008 Art Expo Winner Best Solo Artist - Las Vegas, NV

  • 2008 Art Now - Miami Beach, FL

  • 2008 Laura Rathe Fine Art - Houston, TX

  • 2008 Laguna Fine Art - Laguna Beach, CA

  • 2008 Alan Avery Art - Atlanta, GA

  • 2008 Phillip Morton Gallery - Rehoboth Beach, DE

  • 2008 Art Expo - New York, NY

  • 2007 Chemers - Anaheim, CA

  • 2007 Tamera Reigel - Las Vegas, NV

  • 2007 Art Expo - Las Vegas, NV

  • 2007 Kodner Gallery ìMosaicî - Saint Louis, MO

  • 2006 Cerrito Fine Art - Oakland, CA

  • 2005 Kodner Art Gallery ìSpectrumî - Saint Louis, MO

  • 2005 Art Works Fellowship Holland Hall - Tulsa, OK

  • 2004 Simmons Gallery ìLiquidî - San Francisco, CA

  • 2002 Milan Gallery - Fort Worth, TX

  • 2002 Beekman Gallery - New York, NY

  • 2001 Kodner Gallery - Saint Louis, MO

  • 2001 Gallery Soho - Palm Desert, CA

  • 2001 Michael Levy Gallery - Long Beach, CA

  • 2001 Palm Springs International Fair - Palm Springs, CA

  • 2001 Austin Modern Art Gallery - Austin, TX

  • 2000 Ken Elias Fine Art - Palm Beach, FL

  • 2000 Art Expo - New York, NY

  • 1997 Hooshang Gallery - Santa Fe, NM

  • 1997 Selected Beaux Arts Ball - Dallas Museum of Art

  • 1997 Florence Art Gallery - Dallas, TX

  • 1997 Milan Gallery - Fort Worth, TX

  • 1997 Neiman Marcus Spring Art Show - Dallas, TX

  • 1996 Southwest Art Gallery - Dallas, TX

  • 1996 Hemisphere Gallery - Dallas & Houston, TX

  • 1995 The MAC - Dallas, TX


SELECT COLLECTIONS

 

  • Met Life - Houston, TX

  • Omni Hotel - Dallas, TX

  • Circuit of the Americas - Austin, TX

  • Former President George Bush Sr. - Houston, TX

  • Hillwood Company - Dallas, TX

  • Mirage Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV

  • Wolfgang's Steakhouse - Beverly Hills, CA

  • Ritz Carlton - Tucson, AZ

  • Deloite & Touche - Dallas, TX

  • Anheuser Busch - St. Louis, MO

  • Vincent and Elkins - Dallas - Houston - Washington

  • Motorola - Austin, TX

  • Cushman Wakefield - Dallas - New York

  • MGM Grand Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV

  • Westin - Napa Valley, CA

  • Equinox Gym & Spa - Dallas, TX

  • Nordstrom - Portland, OR

  • Boeing Areospace - St. Louis, MO

  • Mandarin Oriental - Dallas, TX

  • Wachovia - Houston, TX

  • Stroz Friedberg - Dallas, TX - Chicago, TX

  • Starbucks - Seattle, WA

  • Gensler Architecture - Dallas, TX

  • Adera Inc. - Stockholm, Sweden

  • Tailwater Capital - Dallas, TX

  • Hyatt Hotels - Dallas, TX - Key West, FL

  • American Financial International - Houston, TX

  • Mercantile - Dallas, TX

  • Palms Steakhouse - Palm Springs, CA

  • Lazarus Property - Dallas, TX

  • Verve Communications Inc.- Dallas, TX

  • Ameri-First Securities - Dallas, TX

  • Oxy Medical, Inc. - Dallas, TX

  • Arcturus Corporation - Dallas - New York

  • Credit Unions, Inc. - Phoenix, AZ

  • Penbrook Capital, Inc. - Dallas, TX

  • SCA Technologies, Inc. - Dallas, TX

  • North Texas Wind Symphony - Dallas, TX

  • Blake Agency, Inc. - Chicago, IL

  • Art Source, Inc. - Chicago, IL

  • 1401 Elm Place Commission - Dallas, TX

  • Budco - San Antonio, TX

  • Wachovia - Houston, TX

  • 1505 Elm - Dallas, TX

  • McKinney One Place - Dallas, TX

  • Metallo Design - Hong Kong

  • Thirty Thirty Bryan - Dallas, TX

  • Raging Wire - Ashburn, VA

  • Weinberg Properties - New York City, NY

  • Vess Oil Corporation - Dallas, TX


 

TWENTY YEARS BOOK

 

FOREWORD by Johnny Sampson

 

From his original experiments on shop windows to his current monumental masterpieces, the evolution of his craft is influenced primarily by Nature. His colors, his movements, his subjects, and even his methods, are inspired by events in nature captured behind a pane of glass. It is this juxtaposition between the clean, polished final work, and the highly gestural abstractions depicted, that give his artwork such drama. By removing the painterly aspects one would expect from such dynamic pieces, a tension between structure and abandon is achieved, mirroring that same balance in nature.


INSTALLATIONS