Susan's Bio:

Susan Martin was raised in south Texas.  She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin, and then continued coursework in Art Education and Art History.  A significant part of her educational experience was the opportunity to study photography and composition under the eminent photographer Russell Lee, best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). 

Lee’s lasting influence can be observed in her sharp, clean examination of the subject, her preference for strong contrasts that reveal surface quality and detail, and an emphasis on composition that comes from years of work in black and white.

Early in her career, the artist turned to acrylics in her quest for the clean edges that a quick drying medium can deliver, adding depth and intensity of color through multiple, thin layers of paint.  Working from her own photographs, usually cropped and altered, her work developed ‘Super-Real’ characteristics, creating an image beyond the scope of the camera.

Susan’s paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the state in competitive and invitational settings.  She is a founding member of Ten Women in Art, whose exhibitions have been presented across the state of Florida for twenty-five years. Martin’s work has been purchased for a number of collections, including Southern Progress Corporation, Chugai-Upjohn, Sterling Drugs, and McGraw-Hill.

Martin works out of her home studio on south Merritt Island, Florida.

Artist Statement:

I am attracted to the chaos of growth and competition in nature. The thickets of branches and leaves provide a wealth of material from which I can select a tight, complex composition of lines, shapes, and patterns, with a special affinity for the interplay of positive and negative shapes.  By eliminating the context normally provided by the background, and studying a subject close-up, the abstract qualities are emphasized and the composition becomes a thing apart from its representation of plant life, with a life and value of its own.

It also becomes personal. This series of intimate landscapes seek to elicit that magical moment when ones steps into and becomes a part of the natural world, when the rustle of leaves in the breeze and occasional bird calls are the only sounds but there is life all around, and one is only an insignificant part of it.

 

Corporate Collections:

American Bank, Austin, Texas
Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, Florida
Burdines (Macys), Orlando, Florida
Chugai-Upjohn Company, Chicago, Illinois
Commune de Strassen, Strassen, Luxembourg
First Florida Bank, Melbourne, Florida
Las Verandas Hotel & Villas, Roatan, Honduras
Marriott at Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida
McGraw-Hill Companies, New York City, New York
Orange County Convention and Civic Center, Orlando, Florida
Southern Progress Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama
Sterling Drug, Incorporated
Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, Florida
Walt Disney World Productions, Orlando, Florida

Solo and Two Person Exhibits:

2017            Solo Exhibition, 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, FL
2015            Solo Exhibition, Foosaner Art Museum FVE Gallery, Melbourne, FL
2013            Solo Exhibition, Strassen, Luxembourg,
2009            Solo Exhibition Leu Gardens, Orlando, FL
2000            Two-Person Exhibition, Harris House of Atlantic Ctr. For the Arts, New Smyrna, FL,
1999            Two-Person Exhibition, The American Dream, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero
1996            Two-Person Exhibition, Body Parts, City Hall Art Gallery, Tallahassee, FL,
1987            Solo Exhibition, Brevard Community College, Cocoa, FL,
1979            Solo Exhibition, Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, FL

Select Group Exhibits:

2016            Court House Cultural Center, Stuart, FL, Annual All Florida Juried
2016           Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL, Tenth Biennial National Art Exhibit
2015            Morean Art Center, St. Petersburg, Fl, All Florida Juried Exhibition
2014            Florida Dept of State, 22nd Floor Gallery, Tallahassee, Out My Backdoor,
2014            Strawbridge Art League, Melbourne, FL, Visions, Best of Show
2014            Court House Cultural Center, Stuart, FL, Ten Women
2013            7th Biennale d'Art Contemporain, Strassen, Luxembourg
2013            Florida Museum for Women Artists, Deland, FL, Annual Exhibition
2013            Cornell Museum, Delray, Fl Juried Exhbition
2013            Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL
2013            Florida Museum for Women Artists, Deland, FL, Annual Exhibition
2012            Morean Art Center, St. Petersburg, Fl, Bloom
2011            Gateway Center for the Arts, DeBary, FL
2011            Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL, All Florida Competitive
2010            Museum of Florida Art, Deland, Fl, Biennial V
2010            Orlando City Hall, Terrace Gallery, Orlando, FL, Ten Women in Art
2010            Seminole State College, Sanford, FL, Ten Women
2010            Brevard Community College, Cocoa, FL, Personal Baggage
2008            Tampa International Airport, Tampa, FL, Personal Baggage
2007            Thomas Center Gallery, Gainesville, FL, Competitive Exhibition
2007            Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne, FL
2007            Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, GA, Ten Women in Art
2006            Albany Museum of Art, Albany, GA
2006            LoPressionism Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne, FL
2005            Fish House Art Center Gallery, Stuart, FL, Competitive Juried
2004            Cornell Museum of Art, Delray Beach, FL, Juried Exhibition
2002            Maitland Art Center, Maitland, FL, Juried Exhibition
2001            The von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL, Juried Exhibition
2000            Artists Unlimited Inc, Tampa, FL, Nat’l Open Juried Exhibition
2000            Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, FL, Florida Competitive

Publications:

Brevard Live, "Florida Art: Susan Martin", John Leach, October, 2015
Brevard Culture, "Susan Martin exhibition", Pam Harbaugh, September, 2015
Florida Today, "Local botanicals go on display overseas", Maria Sonnenberg, 2013
New American Paintings, No. 94 Southern Edition, 2011
Florida Today, “Ten Women’ turns 20”, Pam Harbaugh, April 3, 2003
Space Coast Living Magazine, “The Tennies”-Ten Women in Art, December 2005,
Medizin im Bild, “Uberrealistische Perspektiven”, July-August, 1996
Florida Today, “The Wheel Thing,” Brian Bixler, August 13, 1988
ART IN PUBLIC PLACES
Daytona Beach Regional Airport, Magnolias, 1993, 6' x 12’, commissioned by Volusia County Regional Airport.

Honors:

U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program, 1989

Education:

1966            B.F.A. in Studio Art, University of Texas at Austin
1967            Art Education Certification
1968            Course Study with Photographer Russell Lee, University of Texas at Austin,
1964            Art History, University of the Americas, Mexico City