JIM MARTIN
The art of sculptor Jim Martin is at once deeply familiar and wholly unique. Employing concepts and symbols from the archaic, the classical and the modern, Martin's work examines essential considerations of both ancient and contemporary man. His pieces point to the place of privilege we all hold as mindful beings in a world encompassing both the physical and the spiritual. Each piece is, in its essence, a reflection of human consciousness and more succinctly, a meditation on how we perceive our place and role in the duality of the physical, spiritual realm we inhabit. Using stylized or derivative anthropocentric form Martin reveals how we define, separate and yet strive to bridge the inherent duality of the world and of ourselves. Among these iconographic forms are references to antique Chinese coins, primitive shields and axes as well as familiar household objects such as dolls, bowls and vessels. By reframing these common tools and objects as sculpture, Martin explores the relationship of everyday utensils to ritual objects. Objects that are born of utility and daily routine, transformed by human consciousness into cultural relics. Bringing these ancient and contemporary motifs together Martin presents a body of graceful, minimalist work that echoes our collective dialogue with our physical environment.
His distinctive and elegant forms are made with the meticulousness and precision usually reserved for fine jewelry. While patinated bronze, mild and stainless steels and more exotic metals such as Monelle are Martin's primary materials, he hasn't always been a metal worker. As a traditional artist's apprentice, he spent many of his early art-making years devoted to stone carving, exhibiting his natural affinity for the material in marble, limestone, granite and alabaster. Marble and limestone still make cameo appearances in Martin's work, most often combined with bronze or steel. He is always experimenting and challenging himself to keep his work evolving.
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