My name is Alan Edward Martinez and I am a 37 year old photographer from Los Angeles.
Making art is about creating an idea and being able to put life into that idea. My purpose as an artist is not to just make art, but have the drive to learn and appreciate art and to realize the importance of doing this as a lifelong experience. Because I have this overarching goal of being a lifelong artist, my subjects and mediums are always expanding and changing. I not only use many mediums, but I also plan to expand my repertoire into crossing over and combining drawings and/or paintings with my photography.
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My portfolio tends to be eclectic. I paint, draw, make pottery and create sculptures. I also enjoy graphic design and making short films and videos. Because I explore many different forms of art, I feel that helps me when shooting photos. I find simplicity and nature to be inspirational and enjoy shooting geometric and organic shapes and shadows. One of my main purposes in creating art is to allow someone else to see things from my perspective and to put my personal style into the piece. I’m not influenced by any one thing in particular, rather I’m affected by everything. This mindset tends to be reflected in what I create, such as when I take photos while walking and then am inspired to create a painting later from those images.
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I enjoy drawing, sketching and using pastels. When creating a sketch or a pastel piece I will either reproduce something or use an existing photo of mine as inspiration. My drawings vary greatly from cartoons, to landscapes, to pieces inspired by contemporary artists I follow. One piece in particular is a fantasy space scenario. The image is 18” by 12” and was created on paper using pastels. The image is constructed from multiple layers of pastel. In between layers the image was sprayed with workable fixit which allowed me to develop deep rich layers of color and texture.
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When painting I use oils, gouache, and crayons (by melting them onto paper). When using oils I enjoy creating multiple layer pours where I use gamsol and liquin to extend and thin the oils, thereby allowing the oils to spread across the canvas. This process creates depth and gradation between the different colors. I have also used gouache but only selectively when I’m seeking a more cartoonish look with bright, vivid colors to accentuate the image. A new favorite medium is using melted crayons to create a new body of work. Because of the molecular structure of the melting crayons, they actually help dictate how the piece goes based on how they react to each other and melt and mix. The crayons also fight across the paper, as if they are reaching across the paper with their bizarre abstract fingers.
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Photography has long been my original love and everything always goes back to my photographic eye. Photography inspires my work in other mediums. While shooting I often search for a balance between geometric and organic shapes which allows the eye to dance across the entire image. In the past I have used black and white film, color film, 4 x 5 film and know how to develop all those film types. This knowledge influences what I choose to shoot. I see the photo from the view of being in the darkroom, and not just from a digital perspective. I love to shoot at night and don’t use a flash when I shoot.
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I have lived in Southern California my whole life and that has greatly influenced what I’m inspired by. I have always lived in urban areas where my environment consists of concrete. The chaos of urban life has enabled me to enjoy simplicity in “ordinary” objects. My interests in subject content greatly varies from the media I use.
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