Bobby C. Martin, back in the day : East Gallery, December 27-February 27,, 2011.

              Bobby C. Martin East Gallery - December 27 – February 27, 2011
file:////maindc/users/gphillips/PDFs%2067/Capitol%20Art/Bobby_C_Martin_East_Gallery_2011.html[9/28/2012 2:41:33 PM]
Bobby C. Martin
Mom-&-Mary-Ann-(The-Redhead) Bobby C. Martin
Ruby-& the Grandbabies Bobby C. Martin
Bobby C. Martin Back in the
Day
East Gallery - December 27 – February 27, 2011
December 27, 2010
Old family photographs have long been a deep
inspiration and nearly endless resource for the
artwork of Tahlequah artist Bobby C. Martin.
Images of close kinfolk and distant relatives
from his Muscogee (Creek) heritage are icons to
him, symbols of Native American identity that
are not seen as "traditional," but are just as
valid and vital to him.
I base many of my works on photographs that
belonged to my full-blood Indian grandmother,
my aunts, and my mother," says Martin. He
uses pictures found in shoeboxes, forgotten in
the bottoms of drawers, or found among the
tattered black pages of old leather-bound photo albums. "The photographs have very
personal meanings for me as the artist," he says. And he has also found that there is
almost universal recognition among viewers of a sense of history and identity, evoking
memories of their own family's past.
Martin explains, "My art aims to return the viewer
to a specific moment in time—not a monumental
or historic moment, just a simple, personal
moment in one man's family history. While it may
be possible to peel back or peer around the layers
in these works to reveal deeper intent, it may be
just as possible to look at these works and think
about a favorite aunt or Granny's old Ford truck.
My hope is for my art to become like an old family
photograph—perhaps cherished, perhaps stuffed in
a box in the attic—but always able to evoke
memories every time it is viewed."
Martin works in oil painting, printmaking, and
sometimes digital image making. He transfers the
images from the photograph to larger surfaces
such as canvas or etching plates. Over the images
he then adds text from Dawes census rolls,
scripture, words from Muskoke hymnbooks, or
English.
For the words, Martin says, "My goal is to
have the textual material become not words
to read, but just another layer, a historical
identity layer that functions as much as a
texture as it does as a carrier for messages
of faith, politics, and identity," says Martin.
Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts from
Northeastern State University in Tahlequah
and a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking
Capitol Exhibitions
The Capitol is home to four art
galleries, exhibiting works of
current and past Oklahoma
artists.
East Gallery
North Gallery
Governor's Gallery
Betty Price Gallery
About the East Gallery
Located on the first floor of the
Capitol, the East Gallery
features paintings and mixed
media works by current
Oklahoma artists. Exhibits rotate
approximately every 60 days.
Hours:
Weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Weekends 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (use
west entrance)
The East Gallery is curated by
the Oklahoma Arts Council. For
more information contact Alyson
Moses at 405.521.2931 or
alyson.moses@arts.ok.gov.
Past East Gallery Exhibitions
Selection of Artists for
Exhibition
Upcoming East Gallery
Exhibits
Pamela Husky (Stigler)
December 10, 2012 -
February 10, 2013
Regina Murphy (Oklahoma
City)
February 10 - December 10,
2012
Gina Dowling (Norman)
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