Biography

Martin was born in Glasgow in 1952. His talent for drawing was evident from an early age, when he was rarely seen without a pencil and paper in hand. Largely self-taught, he continued to draw and paint throughout a career in the construction industry, but as demand for his work grew he decided to focus exclusively on painting as a career.

Now a well-known exhibiting artist with work in many galleries and private collections, he spends half his year painting Scotland’s varied landscape and the other half in his studio in Ronda, Andalusia.

Martin has developed a unique style in watercolour landscape painting and his work is instantly recognisable. His unconventional approach and technique produces work that is both intense and dramatic.

“Watercolour can be unforgiving, but it can also offer intense rewards. Unlike other mediums, there is little or no room for error as over painting is not an option, so the artist must learn when to persevere and when to discard work.

There is a sense in which the medium is subject to “controlled accident”. This can add to the drama of the painting and enables the artist to more closely imitate nature when painting landscape and sky.

The water-colourist must build up a directory of techniques, once learned, these techniques form the foundation for progress as an artist”.