Sam Martin is currently a part of Gertrude's Local Studio Artist Program. He recently exhibited Specimen, Part 1, at Station Gallery, and has an upcoming exhibition at Gertrude Glasshouse between 8 July and 29 July.
Martin’s work tip toes the line between figurative and abstract. A cohesion of painting, textile and tapestry, Martin creates contemporary pieces that resemble tribal relics. Martin’s practice is both repetitive and various, formulaic and impromptu, purposeful and decorative. It aims to create a dialogue that communicates the labour intensity of each work. A labour both essential to the making process and final composition of each piece.
As Martin prepares for his upcoming Glasshouse exhibition, he sat down with Gertrude to discuss all things craft, inspiration and Gertrude Contemporary.
Gertrude: What’re you reading currently, or rather, what’s informing your practice right now?
Sam Martin:
Books:
‘The Techniques of Rug Weaving’, Peter Collingwood
‘Indian Basket Weaving, The Navajo School of Indian Basketry’
‘Georgiana Houghton’s Spirit Drawings’
‘Beyond Weaving’, Marcia Chamberlain and Candice Crockett
‘Baskets as Textile Art’, Ed Rossbach
‘The Dyer’s Art, ikat, Batik, Plangi’, Jack Lenor Larsen and Dr. Alfred Butler
‘Textiles of Ancient Peru and their Techniques’, Raoul D’Harcourt
‘On Weaving’, Anni Albers
‘New Basketry’, Ed Rossbach
‘The Nature of Basketry’, Ed Rossbach
‘Embroidered Textiles’, Sheila Paine
‘Free Jazz’, Ekbehard Jost
‘Sun Ra’, John Sinclair
Music:
Maurice McIntyre, ‘Humility in the Light of the Creator’
Gunter Hampel, ‘Eighth of July 1968’
John Coltrane, ‘Meditations’
John Tchicai and the Binder Quartet
Sun Ra (all albums, but specifically ‘Secrets of the Sun’)
There are opposing dialogues of repetition and variety, structure and improvisation in your work. Are these conversations part of the process or something you’re trying to communicate in your work?
Both.
Can you expand on this?
I’ve always been interested in how a surface (in this case a painted surface) can handle multiple approaches.
I enjoy creating a tension in my pictures. Improvisation could be associated with speed and labour could be associated with monotony and slowness.
I’m interested in how a viewer encounters a work and how these components could be reconciled to form a narrative of approaches or deconstructed into their individual elements.
Can you give us a little insight in to your process?
I like to magnify the surface. I like to focus on time. I like to let my mind wander. I like to interpret traditional methods of construction. I like to translate one form into another form. I like to let the process inform the end result. I like to work.
In what capacity is the grid still significant in your practice?
The grid is still important, it used to be a method of transcription from the source material to a finished painting, and now it is a platform of research. I see the warp and weft of the material as a site that can blur the lines between painting and different forms of weaving and a way to construct my own pictures.
What is the role of labour or ‘craft’ in your work?
The labour element is vital. I learn so much from the time I spend working on my pictures. It leads me to different fields of research and allows me to get absorbed into the work. In terms of ‘the craft’ element, I don’t attempt to copy processes, I aim to re-interpret them to work as a painting. I don’t seek perfection, but use it as a way of creating something unique.
As a current Studio Artist, can you give any insight in to what it’s like to be in the Gertrude Studios? What has your experience been thus far?
The Gertrude Studios is a place to work in fantastic. The size of the studio has really enabled me to diversify my practice. It’s a very enjoyable place to work. However, I’m not the most social artist and have struggled and probably haven’t made the most of the community element of the studios.
