ABOUT

Donald Martiny works with paint, color, and form; elements from the history of painting often referring to color or manner of paint application from diverse areas on the art-historical timeline. While he highly values the history of painting he does not feel beholden to it.

Martiny’s current exploration is in the presence and power of gesture made to exist forever in the present. What he wants to happen is for the space between the painting and the viewer to become activated, encouraging the viewer to form a relationship and interact with the work. Beyond an observational viewing experience, he is encouraging engagement and participation with the painting. By eschewing the ground (canvas or panel) altogether, the painting directly addresses the viewer and relates more dynamically to the space around it. These massive brushstrokes offer a potent exchange inviting the viewer closer, even inside the work. The intimacy is instantaneous and intensely visceral. Martiny’s paintings are not a depiction of an experience, rather they are the experience.

Donald Martiny was born in Schenectady, NY in 1953 and currently lives and works in Ivoryton, CT.

He studied at the School of the Visual Arts, The Art Students League in New York, New York University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Museum exhibitions include the FWMoA, Courtauld Institute of Art, Alden B Dow Museum of Art, Falmouth Museum, and the Cameron Art Museum.