Martin
Martin was born in The Bronx and got his art education from the streets of New York City. His first passion was comic book art but he was quickly thrown into graffiti because of it's provocative and rebellious meaning. After several years of painting graffiti his focus turned to painting on canvas and exploring various art mediums and techniques.
Modern art from the 1980s had a big influence on Martin as he witnessed first hand the art of the young minds of New York City and other up and coming artists like himself. Although Martin has been an artist almost all his life, it has only been in the last 15 years that he has had the freedom to tap into his creative mind and pursue his dream of creating art full time.
Martin's art style has no boundaries and his paintings are evidence that he has versatility in almost any medium. He enjoys working mostly with oils but often has a watercolor or acrylic painting nearby to finish. Although Martin has no particular style when he paints, his passion for comic book art and graffiti are still evident in his style of painting and in the way he uses his colors.
He believes that art is ever changing, much like life itself, and that people need to adapt constantly if they are to survive in the art world. Several years ago Martin returned to school to earn a degree in Graphic Design and now also creates print and web designs when the opportunity presents itself. His work can be seen in various businesses as framed art and mural paintings.
Discover contemporary artworks by Martin, browse recent artworks and buy online. Categories: contemporary american artists. Artistic domains: Painting. Account type: Artist , member since 2007 (Country of origin United States). Buy Martin's latest works on Artmajeur: Discover great art by contemporary artist Martin. Browse artworks, buy original art or high end prints.
Artist Value, Biography, Artist's studio:
Majestic Art • 10 artworks
View allRecognition
Biography
Martin was born in The Bronx and got his art education from the streets of New York City. His first passion was comic book art but he was quickly thrown into graffiti because of it's provocative and rebellious meaning. After several years of painting graffiti his focus turned to painting on canvas and exploring various art mediums and techniques.
Modern art from the 1980s had a big influence on Martin as he witnessed first hand the art of the young minds of New York City and other up and coming artists like himself. Although Martin has been an artist almost all his life, it has only been in the last 15 years that he has had the freedom to tap into his creative mind and pursue his dream of creating art full time.
Martin's art style has no boundaries and his paintings are evidence that he has versatility in almost any medium. He enjoys working mostly with oils but often has a watercolor or acrylic painting nearby to finish. Although Martin has no particular style when he paints, his passion for comic book art and graffiti are still evident in his style of painting and in the way he uses his colors.
He believes that art is ever changing, much like life itself, and that people need to adapt constantly if they are to survive in the art world. Several years ago Martin returned to school to earn a degree in Graphic Design and now also creates print and web designs when the opportunity presents itself. His work can be seen in various businesses as framed art and mural paintings.
- Nationality: UNITED STATES
- Date of birth : 1965
- Artistic domains:
- Groups: Contemporary American Artists
Influences
Education
Artist value certified
Achievements
Activity on Artmajeur
Latest News
All the latest news from contemporary artist Martin
My free style art
I like to think of my art as free style. Free to paint what I love without
the confinements of being labeled, categorized or commited to any particular
style. It is within the lack of boundaries that I achieve my goals as an artist. I believe that in reaching these goals I am able to branch out and adapt to inspirational surroundings with the freedom and creation of art, without artistic segregation.
Article
I have not received any yet!
Artist Martin Velez Influenced by Comic Books
Central Alternative/July 2006: Like the artist known as Prince, artist Martin Velez goes by “Martin.” He began with “comic book” art.
Q: Where there any special comic books or characters that influenced you as a boy?
A: There were a lot of characters that influenced me, however I found it more rewarding to create my own characters which is what I did most of the time. I always felt close to Peter Parker and his alter ego Spiderman (mostly because he was so secretive with his family and friends). Peter Parker always had a lot of pressure on him especially from his peers. I related to that in some way because my pressures came from my father, my friends and my teachers. I just wanted to be a kid and have fun. Because of the fact that comic book art was very discouraged in my house, I had to sneak artwork in and out of the house.
Q: Did graffiti, at first, satisfy a “rage” rather than an “artistic” yearning?
A: Oh definitely a rage because when I first started with graffiti I felt as if there was a void in my life. Having been abandoned by my mother, physically abused by my father, and having him die when I was only 15 years old was difficult; I was pissed at the world. Having an outlet, any outlet was a cry for help and graffiti allowed me to be angry and portray it in a chromatic way. Although Graffiti at the time was notorious for its rebellious meaning, I saw it as a way to express the feelings in my life.
I would paint my name with cracks and chunks of letters falling off the image, and sometimes with cracks depicted throughout the entire piece of artwork- almost indicating to the world that despite this may be well done, my life was really in pieces. The fact that things in my life was dark and grey, was the reason my graffiti pieces of art were always in color. I felt as if I was on a mission; mostly a self destructive one. But I was too young to know which path in my life I was going to take.
Q: What did you find lacking in the medium of graffiti that eventually lead you to painting on canvas and exploring various art mediums and techniques?
A: Graffiti was hard to do because not only did you have to know letter design but also color schemes and character development. Then you had the pressures of girlfriends, friends, and gang influences so you had to make some people happy and add their name to the piece and so on. It was like you always had to prove yourself and I was having a tough time just trying to sort my own personal life.
The fact that I did graffiti well allowed me to feel important for the first time in my life, but it just wasn’t enough for me. Fortunately, one summer my partner in crime Martin Matos, a.k.a. “Spec 5” got a job at the Guggenheim as a security guard. I would go down to see him and we would look at the amazing artwork. That’s where I began to explore the world of art and I found myself intrigued with the impressionistic style of painting. From there I started attending other galleries mostly in Manhattan, and found myself swaying away from graffiti. Although graffiti was very well respected in the streets, deep inside I felt that I wanted to be respected on a higher level. I got a lot of slack from my pears however, as I would try to attempt to paint other subject matters instead of graffiti. I found the techniques of painting with a brush very difficult so I became discouraged with my results. I like to think I was yearning for another passion, perhaps something normal in my life. The more I attended the galleries the more my passion and respect for the arts grew. Eventually I realized that if I wanted more than the streets, I would have to get out of the streets. So I did.
From the streets of New York City
Martin was born in The Bronx and got his art education from the streets of New York City. His first passion was comic book art but he was quickly thrown into graffiti because of it's provocative and rebellious meaning. After several years of painting graffiti his focus turned to painting on canvas and exploring various art mediums and techniques.
Modern art from the 1980s had a big influence on Martin as he witnessed first hand the art of the young minds of New York City and other up and coming artists like himself. Although Martin has been an artist almost all his life, it has only been in the last 15 years that he has had the freedom to tap into his creative mind and pursue his dream of creating art full time.
Martin's art style has no boundaries and his paintings are evidence that he has versatility in almost any medium. He enjoys working mostly with oils but often has a watercolor or acrylic painting nearby to finish. Although Martin has no particular style when he paints, his passion for comic book art and graffiti are still evident in his style of painting and in the way he uses his colors.
He believes that art is ever changing, much like life itself, and that people need to adapt constantly if they are to survive in the art world. Several years ago Martin returned to school to earn a degree in Graphic Design and now also creates print and web designs when the opportunity presents itself. His work can be seen in various businesses as framed art and mural paintings.