Color. Color! One glimpse at fine art photographer Jennifer Martin's work, and your soul will expand to soak it all in. For our Artist of the Month, color is the canvas of life. She captures exquisite details with such precision and clarity that we readers are there right with her, hearing the click on her camera, even from thousands of miles away. Jennifer is an artist from our Girlfriends in Art group (we've shared the work of Lyn Belisle, Gina Mitsdarfer, and Sonya Gonzalez here on Wandering Educators - what can I say? My girlfriends in art are amazing) - and she upholds the strong artistic standards of this incredible group of women. But I digress.

 

Jennifer's work explores deep cultural themes, through taking a closer look. Her prayer series gives a glimpse into a deeply fascinating world; her day of the dead series celebrates artistry via the details. Visit the Mexican markets with Jennifer, and be prepared to notice, well, LIFE. She shares the essence of the beauty of life, in all its creative forms. From exploring the foundations of a culture (doorways, plants, history) to celebrations (both traditional and daily) to those colors - peppers, and flowers, and textiles - Oh My! It's like traveling with a friend who sees treasures you never will, who points out the best thing in the market, the cat lounging on the stairs, the old woman whose eyes tell the story of the world. Perusing her work means immersing yourself in another culture, place, and time; drenching yourself in colors, with a visual artist who can share the best of a place. She lets you in on life.

 

Hammock Vendor, Mexico

 

Black door, Mexico

 

Pot on Stairs, Yucatan 

 

Please tell us about your art.

My photographs are images that reflect my love of other cultures, symbols and the warm, bright colors I associate with San Miguel de Allende Mexican markets, Yucatán gardens, the streets of Mérida or Guatemala. I delight in finding an image that pulls me in and speaks to me personally. 

 

Statue of Virgin de Guadalupe 

 

Angel Statue with Lamb

 

Virgen de Guadalupe Candles

 

Guatemala (Antigua) Candles - church 

 

How/when did you start becoming an artist?

As a child, I was told by my perfectionist, military father, If you can’t do something perfect, don’t do it at all. That was about the same time I began asking my mother to cut out my paper dolls - she was better at it. In ninth-grade home economics, I made a B+ on an apron and after three failed attempts, never managed to get a six-inch, navy-blue zipper sewn into a skirt.

Later, as an adult, I was the Lucille Ball/Erma Bombeck student in a 12-week-beginner’s ceramics class I took with my husband. I seemed to be the quintessential example of the craft impaired. There was no logic in someone like me who had never excelled in anything artsy in my life, signing up for a week-long Complex Cloth Intensive with fiber artist/instructor/author, Jane Dunnewold. No logic, just a burning desire. The last day of class I had a meltdown and was quietly sobbing to Jane’s assistant. Those gnawing feelings of self-criticism, inadequacy and self-judgment settled into my bones. My work didn’t look like any of the other students’ work. My work looked like it came from Pier One – earthy and ethnic.

I sat quietly at my work table, still feeling disappointed and sad about my inability to understand the layering concept Jane Dunnewold was teaching. Around four o’clock, she  stopped by my work table. Trying to avoid her gaze, I pretended to thumb through a design book.

“I enjoyed having you in class,” she said. “I hope to see you again.”

Not likely, I thought.

I kind of doubt it,” I closed the book and placed it on my table. “I just feel like I’m the only student who didn’t get it.”

Jane paused a moment. “Tell me what you see in the other student’s work that you don’t see in yours,” she said, looking and pointing to the lines of fabric hanging from makeshift clothes lines.

Now, I paused and took a lingering look at the other students’ work, observing the colors they had used, the images they had chosen.

“Well, first of all, I would never pick the colors they picked. And I would never pick the images they chose. I felt something begin to shift inside of me.

“And?” Jane said in that gentle way that a wise teacher helps a student see what is true.

I continued, “You know, all my life the rest of the world has gone like this.” I gestured with one hand. “And I’m just a little off center from that line.” I motioned with my other hand.

“And?” Jane asked again.

In that instant, something old and heavy clicked into place, like a hammer striking metal – I felt the self-judgment, criticism, and perfection issues begin to fade.

“You’re just expressing your gifts, your personality, not theirs. And, you know exactly what you want to create. Most people don’t know that,” Jane said.

Her words tumbled through my mind, like polished blue stone. Suddenly, everything was clear to me. I felt free and okay. I got the “it” I was supposed to get. 

That was 2003, the year I became an artist.

 

Huipil Market - Vendor

 

Mexican shopping bags

 

Blue Heart Door, Mexico

 

Door Knocker, Mexico

 

What do you draw inspiration from? 

I draw inspiration from being around other creative people, traveling with my husband, watching movies that touch my heart, thumbing through photography/collage books, and reading inspirational writing and poetry.  

 

Old Woman Walking, Mexico 

 

Yellow Hibiscus, Yucatan

 

Zen textile - green

 

What are your favorite places to create?

My favorite place to create is my home studio with my cat, Miss Bishop, taking a nap on the little red couch.

 

What do you enjoy creating the most?

I enjoy creating collages with images and words that stir my heart. That is what I plan to do next with my greeting cards. 

 

Spice - blue bowls 

 

Guatemala Azul - Window

 

Day of the Dead - Purple

 

Guatemalan Textile #4 

 

How can readers find and purchase your art?

They can find my art note cards on my website, www.jjmartinstudio.com or at my Etsy site, http://www.etsy.com/shop/jjmartindesigns

My photography and art note cards are also carried at the following shops:

Vega’s Interiores Mejicanos, Laredo, Texas, Alfa Kat Frame Shop, San Antonio, Texas, Kathleen Sommers, San Antonio, Texas, A Mano, Port Aransas, Texas, Blooms & Things, Vashon Island, Washington, Petroglyphs, Tucson, Arizona, and San Antonio Art League Museum Shop.  

 

Veracruz Roses, Mexican Market 

 

Guatemala market - confetti 

 

Day of the Dead - Altar (swing)

 

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Two of my favorite books on contemplative photography are: The Little Book of Contemplative Photography: Seeing with wonder, respect and humility by Howard Zehr and Photography and The Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photography by Freeman Patterson. Contemplative Photography allows me to “practice mindfulness.”

 

Yucatan - boat on beach 

 

Guatemala market - colorful blankets

 

 

 

 

 

All photos courtesy and copyright Jennifer Martin

 

Feature photo: Guatemala - Roses in Silver Vase