Magnolia Take Over, 30" x 24"

Oil on Canvas.

"Colour is the magical element which transforms everyday objects into something extraordinary. It has the power to create ideas and inspire emotions. The artist, like an alchemist, can use colour to transform a two-dimensional canvas into something that moves the viewer with only the use of coloured pigments. I’ve always been fascinated with the Fauvist painters like Heri Matisse and Andre Derain who used exaggerated colours to convey emotion and were more interested in colour play than accurately depicting their subject matter. I also exaggerate the colours in an attempt to show people the colours I feel when I look at the world. I believe we feel colours, we don't just see them. Everyone sees colour differently and just as there may be an infinite number of colours there are an infinite way of interpreting them. That's what makes painting with colour so interesting.  

A few years ago I was looking at a painting by Paul Gauguin called Portrait of a Mother, and I was mesmerized by his use of colours. The painting is stunning in its simplicity.  It uses colour, mostly gold, to transmute the painting into something mystical in much the same way as a Byzantine icon. I created my palette of colours based on this painting.  I didn’t try to use the actual colours Gauguin had used in his lifetime, but created a limited palette based on colours I thought were similar; pthalo blue, alizarin crimson and cadmium yellow. I add other colours as called for, but these are my signature colours.  They are rich, dark and highly pigmented and combine to create vibrant images which are not totally representational because I’m more interested in expressing emotion and the sensations I feel when I view the world. Colour is mysterious in that it changes with the light and how each individual interprets it. As an artist, I attempt to interpret the colours I see and present them in a way that transforms the subject matter so that it  will convey to the viewer a sense of wonder and excitement."

Laurel Martin is a Canadian artist,  born and raised in Toronto, Canada. In her younger years, she spent time living just outside Paris and was greatly influenced by her time spent visiting the many art galleries there. The Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Expressionists and especially the bright colours used by the Fauves were her favourite artistic styles. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in literature she went on to take countless art courses from many esteemed artists Judith Livingston, Sarka Buchl Stephenson and Andrew Hamilton. Once she tried oil paint she knew she had found her favourite. She now resides in Markham, Ontario and paints from her home studio. 

Laurel Martin continues to exhibit her work regularly at the McKay Art Centre with the Markham Group of Artists. Her painting, Mother Tree, won Best in Show at the Windows Open Show and Magnolia TakeOver won an Honourable Mention. Laurel Martin has been featured on Rogers TV, been published in Cloth, Paper Scissors Magazine and taught workshops at the Georgina Art Centre and the Varley Art Gallery.