By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Even though he doesn’t participate in many local art festivals, Birmingham’s Jeremy Martin makes sure his presence is felt when he does.
Martin was among several dozen artists at the 42nd annual Magic City Art Connection (MCAC), which was held recently at Sloss Furnaces, and he was awarded one of the top prizes.
“I’m [still] new to doing festivals. I’ve only been a part of two local festivals so far, [including MCAC],” said Martin, who captured the fest’s Joe Piper Best in Show Award for his paintings. “First place is very exciting for me.”
Winning was exciting not only for him but also for his mom, Carolyn Martin.
“All the festivals that I do, I have done with her. It was great experiencing this with my mom,” said 28-year-old Jeremy, who credits his mom and his grandmother, Nelleda Martin, who passed away when he was young, for introducing him to art.
“They bought me art supplies, and I just kept with it,” he said.
Family encouragement helped Martin develop his talents, and that support system has helped him “develop his craft,” he said.
Martin recalls that his first paintings were “comic book characters,” and he often turned to art “as a way to express myself,” he said.
“I Just Do My Own Thing”
Martin’s pieces include oil paintings that explore themes of identity, history, and social responsibility.
“Most of my work is about me and whatever I am feeling at the time,” he said. “I draw inspiration from music, movies, life stories, and things that are surrounding me. I do not really care about what other people think or like. It does not matter what everyone else is doing, I just do my own thing.”
For example, two of his pieces — “We Can Fly (I)” and “We Can Fly (II)” — are about “taking a chance on yourself and reaching for something better,” he said.
Another piece, titled “Applying Pressure,” is about “feeling trapped in situations and applying pressure to get out,“ said Martin.
“I mainly use oil paint on wood. I like to use wood as my canvas because I like to use my pallet knife a lot while painting [to] scrape, taking away paint, creating texture,” he added. “I like to paint in layers to create depth and vibrancy. I try to finish at least one piece a month depending on the size.”
Influences
Originally from Palm Bay, Florida, Martin graduated from Hoover High School, in Hoover, Alabama, in 2015. He went on to attend Birmingham-Southern College, where he studied architecture and art. He graduated in 2022 as part of one of the last classes to graduate from the now-closed institution.
Some of his favorite artists include Kerry James Marshall, known for large-scale paintings, sculptures, and other objects that take African American life and history as their subject matter, and Kehinde Wiley, the artist responsible for painting former President Barack Obama’s portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Martin was familiar with Wiley before he did Obama’s portrait.
“When I was in high school, … I used to do drawings with pattern designs that were kind of similar to what [Wiley] does now,” Martin said. “My teacher at the time told me that I should check out [Wiley] because our works were kind of similar. I [reached out to] him out on Instagram …, and he told me he liked my work. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.”
When Martin is not creating new pieces, he helps others select frames for theirs.
“I work with the customer to pick out what’s best for their artwork,” he said. “It’s a collaborative effort. Some people like rustic frames, some people like more ornate frames. … You have to ask questions and [help] the person [find] their style.”
Asked which he preferred, helping with frames or painting, Martin said, “I like framing; it’s nice. But art is my main passion. I try to work on it every day.”
To learn more about Jeremy Martin, follow or send a direct message via Instagram @m.artx.
