Eddie Martinez

American, born 1977

Eddie Martinez’s artistic career arguably began during the house painting jobs of his youth, during which he preferred doodling to the task at hand. His mature style draws from classical traditions of still-life, portrait, and allegorical narrative painting, but filtered through coarse brushwork, bold contours, and semi-abstraction. The images and motifs that feature in his paintings often come from popular culture, and have included cartoon-like ducks, skulls, and clowns. In addition to using oil paint, Martinez also incorporates a mix of media in his paintings, especially spray paint and markers. Martinez has gained recognition for his manipulation of color, which he applies aggressively and in vividly contrasting combinations. One critic described Martinez’s work as being “about color and what it means.”