
America Martin
Women and Birds, 2020

Employing smooth, bold curves as well as hard, geometric strokes, she adheres to the most …

America Martin's paintings, which she thinks of as anthropological, are concerned with depictions of her indigenous heritage and its visual culture. “Roots are like fingerprints,” Martin once said. “My Colombian roots definitely have an impact on what I find beautiful aesthetically and what I’m drawn to.” The subjects of Martin’s works are predominantly figures, which are modeled after acquaintances and strangers that the artist encounters. Her works characteristically feature chunky and exaggerated human proportions, strong contour lines, and minimal shading—a style influenced by both folk art and modernist painting. She typically works in a large format on unstretched canvas, and also produces mixed-media figurative sculptures and works-on-paper. Recent paintings have included bold compositions of women inspired by Greek mythology.


Employing smooth, bold curves as well as hard, geometric strokes, she adheres to the most fundamental aspect of drawing - the line - to tell a story, connecting compositional elements and personal narratives throughout her practice.
Experimenting with line weight and function as a tool for two dimensional …

America Martin's paintings, which she thinks of as anthropological, are concerned with depictions of her indigenous heritage and its visual culture. “Roots are like fingerprints,” Martin once said. “My Colombian roots definitely have an impact on what I find beautiful aesthetically and what I’m drawn to.” The subjects of Martin’s works are predominantly figures, which are modeled after acquaintances and strangers that the artist encounters. Her works characteristically feature chunky and exaggerated human proportions, strong contour lines, and minimal shading—a style influenced by both folk art and modernist painting. She typically works in a large format on unstretched canvas, and also produces mixed-media figurative sculptures and works-on-paper. Recent paintings have included bold compositions of women inspired by Greek mythology.