We are excited to announce that our next exhibition in 2023 is a one man show of Karl Marten’s original watercolours and lithographs. It will run from 25th February to 11th March, with opening drinks between 12 and 2pm on Saturday 25th February.
Karl has been a regular exhibitor with us for many years and has a huge following. If you haven’t seen his work before – now is the time to come and have a look as he is heading in to retirement and we are unlikely to have a large body of work again.
Karl Martens was born in the USA to Swedish parents who were both fascinated by Western art and Eastern art and culture. As a small child Karl sketched and painted birds – and this has become his life’s work, combined with the help of Zen Buddhism, meditation and Kyudo – Japanese archery.
He says
“When we are in contact with our intuition, or emptiness, we are not affected by all the limiting conditions that our intellect can give rise to; doubts, fears, expectations and performance related anxiety. This way we are in contact with our highest potential. Through my painting I try to approach this state of mind by letting go of the knowledge, which is associated with my intellect and instead act from emptiness.”
To achieve this, Karl meditates before he paints, emptying his mind of everything except the bird he wants to paint. He then paints, from memory, on handmade paper which is lying on the floor.
"The handmade paper is impossible to control. Every sheet has its own temperament. Sometimes it absorbs like blotting paper, other times the complete opposite.”
He has already mixed his paint in large jars and has a large bowl of water and coarse salt to hand. Then using large calligraphy brushes he starts. The first brush stroke defines how the bird will be shaped. The bodies of the birds are painted loosely, the legs and feet are rarely complete. The head is left until the rest is dry, at which point the paper is moved to an easel for the head to be finished with a detailed beak and an often piercing eye. His paintings of birds and animals never have any background – so their position on the paper is extremely important – there must be “balance and harmony between the proportions of the watercolour and the format of the paper.”
People looking at Karl Martens’ work for the first time often comment on the red stamp which contains his initials – very much in the style of Asian artists.
Although this exhibition is mainly birds, we do have some examples of his small animals – including a Dormouse, Red Squirrel and Hare.
All work is available on the website but if you are able to come to the gallery you will be able to fully appreciate the incredible relationship between the bird/animal and the handmade paper used.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
