Impressions of the Earth

Western Nevada College
Bristlecone Building
Main Gallery
Carson, City

January 20 - February 20
Gil Martin
Impressions of the Earth

reception Wednesday, February 4, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Gallery hours: M-F 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sat-Sun 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

"To say that the artist has an organic approach may be an understatement. In his words: “The colors I use come directly from the earth. I gather the pigments myself, generally from road-cuts, on my travels throughout the United States. To make paint, I mix the natural pigments with a starch paste made from wheat or corn flour.”

Martin will exhibit paintings, sculptures and photographs, including a 7’x 25’ untitled mural. In creating his work, he sometimes labors outside on the ground, using an aqueous paint. “I eschew complete control over the medium, letting the paint pool and run across the uneven surfaces of the ground," he said.

“My work is intended to be non-objective. The shapes, surfaces, and linear elements are meant to communicate balance, tension, and resolve, through the visual language of painting. I attempt to put colors in arrangements that accentuate the beauty of the material. Natural processes - the flow of a river, the decomposition of a leaf, the shape and movement of a tumbleweed rolling across the road – inspire me to paint.”"

[text and photograph from WNC press release. Photo Caption: "Artist Gil Martin paints on an untitled mural for his show at the WNC College Gallery. At right is his "studio assistant," Ebenezer."]