Video: Painter Eddie Martinez on Art21

June 05, 2017

One of my favorite contemporary painters is Eddie Martinez and these videos are great inspiration. If you're into behind the scenes footage and artistic process, these are definitely worth a watch.

How does it feel to start a new painting? Filmed in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio, artist Eddie Martinez starts a large new painting while taking a break to walk his French bulldog Franny in his graffiti-clad neighborhood. Surrounded by an abundance of recently completed paintings, Martinez refers to these compositions while working on a new seven-by-ten foot canvas.

Why would an artist change his signature style after proven success? Walking the graffiti-filled streets of his Greenpoint neighborhood and working in his nearby Williamsburg studio, Brooklyn-based artist Eddie Martinez discusses the motivation to shift his paintings from Pop-like figurations to pared down abstractions.

Eddie Martinez: Paintings

$23.97

By Ross Simonini, Glenn O'Brien, Monica Ramirez-Montagut

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Avoiding Resistance & Self Doubt

May 31, 2017 in creative motivation

As I plodded down the pavement in the dark, the smell hit me hard. Since I've been watching the new season of Twin Peaks, I immediately thought of Laura Palmer, wrapped in plastic. The fetid odor was intense for several yards, then dissipated. On the way back home, I passed by the spot again and realized the sickly stench was that of death - a lone shrimp had fallen out of someone's cooler.

Again yesterday, I ran into a similar scenario about two miles into the morning run. Along the edge of the sidewalk, where concrete meets grass, there was a shiny black coiled snake. But after a few more miles, I returned to the spot and emerging daylight revealed a black plastic fast food plate.

There are all kinds of real dangers in the world - car accidents, domestic violence, human trafficking, and terrorism. But there are also perceived bogeymen, things that block us from our life goals via negative energy. Steven Pressfield calls it "resistance." I've heard of artists who get locked up by a harsh critique, unsupportive family members, or just good old fashioned self doubt.

The next time you see a coiled serpent in your path - be careful but look closer - it might just be someone else's garbage.

Max Ernst, La famille nombreuse (The Numerous Family), 1927 — Max Ernst , *La famille nombreuse (The Numerous Family)*, 1927

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

$9.91

By Steven Pressfield

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Basquiat & Relative Value

May 27, 2017 in artists

"I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child." - Basquiat

This week a Japanese billionaire spent over 100 million dollars on a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting: https://nyti.ms/2rxoFOx When I heard this news, I immediately thought of scenes from The Radiant Child where Jean-Michel nonchalantly walks around stepping on his paintings, which are strewn about the floor like old newspapers. And he painted with his hands, made art out of broken doors and discarded items that you might think of as garbage. He did not treat his work like precious objects and just seemed compelled to constantly create. I think he made a conscious effort to be innocent in his approach to painting. In Julian Schnabel's biopic about JMB, there is a telling quote, "Do you ask Miles where he got that note from?" - that seems to line up with the man I saw in the documentary; he believed that his job was to create and not observe, analyze, dissect, worry, or obsess.

In contrast, I am participating in a juried exhibition at Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston right now. I was at the opening last night and my wife overheard a local sculptor asking why her piece was not protected behind glass.

Just make art.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child

$18.42

Starring Jean Michel Basquiat

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Slowing Down & Being Present

May 22, 2017 in creative motivation

On my morning run, I came across an empty lot where a church once stood - it was torn down recently, like many other old buildings in Charleston and Mount Pleasant, to make way for the future. So it's an empty lot with three crosses standing out front, representing Calvary. About 30 strides later, there was a chain link fence gate, wide open, with a sign that said 'Enter Here.' This made me laugh, it seemed like a visual pun from God - which made me think about poetry and the importance of slowing down. Normally on a run like this, I'd be counting under my breath, checking my average pace on the Garmin, and straining to do more mileage, faster. But I slowed down on Saturday because I am starting back with running and had begun to develop shin splints - so my cadence was leisurely and I was open to the world around me.

I continued the run, still thinking about that open gate, when I saw an elderly woman walking toward me on the side walk. As she drew closer, we said hello to one another and I saw that her white t-shirt had an ironed-on photograph of a little boy, above his face were the words 'Rest in Peace.' This made me think about juxtaposition and irony, age and mortality.

Less than a half mile later, I ran past a little gas station that was yawning to life in those dawn hours. Music was blaring from outdoor speakers. The song playing was, 'All I Need is a Miracle.'

Walls and blinders are omnipresent in modern life - iPhones, cubicle walls, gated communities, headphones, and passwords. The day is a process of constant blocking to avoid the steady hum and whir of the outside world. But what if we chose moments to let the universe communicate with us?

Restarting the Art Engine

May 12, 2017 in creative motivation

Emerging from a long winter’s nap, feeling groggy and then realizing - ‘Ruh roh, I’ve gotten fat and lazy.’ That’s where I am at.

In retrospect, things were humming along (2011—2013). My artwork had been published in several magazines, shown at a few galleries, and was gaining traction online and with influential art bloggers. Separate from that, the work was strong - I was challenging myself in the studio on a weekly basis, having breakthroughs and pleasant surprises. At the time, I was only looking up the mountain. NOW it is easy to see that I was doing quite well. If that had been maintained, well then who knows what heights I would have reached, professionally or artistically. But that’s also an opportune time to take a great big detour and gum up the works, right when things are starting to pick up speed and momentum. Just like Odysseus, the adverse winds were unleashed. And just like Odysseus, I could have avoided the situation altogether.

You might think, ‘Whoa, adverse winds, that sounds dramatic - were you in a major car accident? did you go bankrupt? were you homeless? did illness strike?’ And the answer to all of those questions is ‘No, I had a kid.’ Now at this point it’s easy to think that’s a valid excuse - ‘Full time job, new baby - how are you supposed to maintain a painting practice?’ And it’s that excuse that allowed my art career to unravel. In addition, I am 20 pounds over my normal, healthy weight and frequently fall asleep on the couch watching TV. WTF.

The reason I am writing this blog is to illuminate my journey back out of the hole (fingers crossed) - I’ve realized that the podcasts, blogs, books, and articles that are the most meaningful to me are the ones where the writer drops the bullshit and just tells the true story. So… here goes.

Maze - Gris Galerie, King St Charleston - 2013Photos by Mark Borrelli — Maze - Gris Galerie, King St Charleston - 2013
Photos by Mark Borrelli