Plus Gallery is pleased to conclude the year 2013 with "Fluid," the fifth solo exhibition by Denver painter Frank T. Martinez, an artist who has proven to be remarkably dedicated in his approach to expanding his abilities within the genre of abstract painting. Martinez' fifth unique body of work is one that he has been pursuing in the studio over a number of years, with nuances and techniques taken from his other series coalescing in a direction that has been brewing throughout the course of each. Martinez has long sought to strip his surface image down to a simple juxtaposition of opposing values, without leaving the richness that a broader color palate and combinations might exude, such as in his vivid 2011 exhibition "Out/Line." While he still infuses his constructions with intense layers of color and complexity, the final moves neutralize the whole, leading to a cohesive semblance of the "fluid" nature he is pursuing compositionally. Within this context, the richness of globular black forms appear to spill out across intricately woven patterns, appearing like oil flowing into water. For Martinez, these are explorations of balance, tension, chaos, order, and the spaces in between as one extreme flows into another.
Martinez philosophic position has always burned brightly for his studio practice. Each series and work within must resonate for the artist on some fundamental level, loose gestures and linear elements building gradually until they create a complex, cohesive form of their own. According to Martinez, "I am fascinated by the mutable nature of the universe; practical science is based on the certainty of change and the equal certainty of stasis. I have always been interested in metamorphosis, in the fluid stages as one state transforms into another, striving for elusive balance." His fifth series of paintings seem to dutifully achieve that balance, an inspiring collision of elements that are bold and entrancing to behold, and certainly his most forceful works to date.
During the final stretch while creating the paintings that make up "Fluid," Martinez was asked to be one of the featured artists for the Starz Denver Film Festival's "Paint the Town Red" trailer series, to be aired during the 36th version of the festival November 6th through 17th. This celebration of a small, diverse segment of visual artists from Denver's community resonates strongly, as each bears into the essence of their work and the value of art. The trailers give a glimpse into Martinez' unique private environment as well as his humanistic side, a rare pleasure so closely preceding the artist's occasion of a major solo exhibition.
Since making his debut with Plus Gallery in 2004, Denver native Frank T. Martinez has earned the reputation as one of the most exciting painters of the last decade. His work has been featured in juried exhibitions and regional group shows of note including the Emmanuel Gallery's "Five Prominent Denver Galleries Featuring Five Works of Art," (2005), the Rocky Mountain Biennial at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art (2006 - Juror's second place award, Juror Bill Wiley), "Pattern Recognition" (2007) at the Foothills Art Center in Golden, and "Silent Films and Bedroom Paintings" at the LAB at Belmar, curated by esteemed MCA Denver director Adam Lerner. His work has been acquired by numerous individuals and collectors of note, and has been placed in distinct corporate collections such as First Western Trust, Regis University, Denver's Glass House and most recently the City of Denver for the recently completed Justice Center on Colfax. Artists collected by the City of Denver, including Martinez, are currently being showcased in the exhibition "Beyond Blue" at the McNichols Civic Center Building in Denver through December 22nd, 2013. "Fluid" caps an extraordinary first decade for Frank T. Martinez as an exhibiting artist.
Join Plus Gallery and Frank this Thursday evening, December 5th from 6-9pm for a reception to kick off "Fluid."
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