JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present Colorito, an exhibition of new works by America Martin. A term usually applied to 16th-century Venetian painting where color is employed in a dominant manner, colorito, or ‘coloring’ was deemed fundamental to conceiving painted images charged with the look of life. America Martin’s modern interpretation includes not only judicious color application but also the vitality and vigor of the world around her as she continues her unmistakable aesthetic sensibility.

Experimenting with line weight and function as a tool for two-dimensional representation of three-dimensional forms, Martin’s figures take on a new balance between solidity, weight, and suggestion. Throughout her practice, Martin has continuously searched for and perfected the distillation of the elements of the human form, as well as the unification of line and color.

Utilizing hues for expressive values, rather than representational qualities, her relationship with color feels personal. Often the palette reflects a mood - gentle and soothing, or strong and spirited, imbuing the works with a fuller spectrum of meaning. In her linework, Martin contrasts smooth, bold curves with hard, geometric lines that construct color blocks. Laden with nuance, thick lines are filled with the bubbling energy of thin, long scrapes throughout their length - adding intensity and dimension to the compositions.

Her technique of freehandedly capturing her subjects yields unapologetic marks and an unabashed palette often features anthropomorphic elements such as birds, butterflies, and flowers. In conjunction with figures, these elements provide both a contextual source of information, as well as symbolic significance, progressing the storyline as a representation of personality, emotional quality, and character. Within this pulsating interplay of color, texture, line, and shape, there is always a signature expression that identifies each work as an America Martin. America Martin (b. 1980, Los Angeles, CA) is a Colombian-American artist based in Los Angeles, California.