Cameron Martin (born 1970) is an American contemporary artist. He is the co-chair of the Painting Department at the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Martin was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1970. He received a B.A. in Art and Semiotics from Brown University in 1994. He continued his studies at the Whitney Independent Study Program in 1996. In the early 90s, Martin maintained a short career as a professional skateboarder. In 1990-1991, he belonged to the Bones Brigade, a team that notably included Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, and Steve Caballero.
Martin first became known for his depictions of meticulously rendered landscape paintings informed by semiotics. In a conversation between the artist Amy Sillman and Martin, Sillman notes that, âÂÂIt is almost impossible to know whether they are paintings or screen prints, or printed prints, or prints with paintings over themâÂÂ. Where the image exists, and how it exists, are questions repeatedly asked in MartinâÂÂs work.
In an essay by the artist Dike Blair on MartinâÂÂs work, he describes the relationship to time, and the unfolding events within the image, he writes, âÂÂlike all of MartinâÂÂs, [they] are steeped in romanticism; yet just as clearly they are products of an analytic eye and mind, and a trained and restrained hand".
In 2014, MartinâÂÂs paintings pivoted towards abstraction. Martin's work in abstraction has been cited as painting âÂÂcommitted to the experience of painting, with unorthodox techniques, and mesmerizing surfaces.â Martin's current paintings explore the aesthetic of virtual technologies, drawing comparisons to Op Art, and the light patterns of contemporary electronic devices such as portable screens, tablets, and smart phones.
In 2004, MartinâÂÂs work was exhibited in the Whitney Biennial. Institutional exhibitions include the Philbrook Museum of Art, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and most recently in 2017 at the University Art Museum at SUNY Albany. MartinâÂÂs solo show at the University Art Museum in Albany in 2017 exhibited his recent turn towards abstraction.