America:
The Polaroids which these paintings were drawn from were taken outside of small towns, along a random route across the country. The path was chosen intuitively: by sight and at times purely by name. If the town sign pointed left, I often went right.
These areas are generally void of people or any signs of life. The shells of homes and businesses remain. Occasionally there is a feeling that perhaps someone may be inside... however this is not certain.
The homes in these small towns remain standing despite their depravation. Nature is in the process of reclaiming its ground. This process is quiet, alluring and beautiful.
What was once considered America's "heartland" has been abandoned. Mom's and Pop's and neighbors traded in for the convenience of WalMart and the uniformity of "if-you-lived-here-you'd-be-home-now" housing developments. Yet the framework of the former American life and its more personal systems of survival remain as a reminder of who we used to be and perhaps as guideposts should we choose to return to our collectively abandoned heart space.
Home on the Strange: In Search of the Salton Sea:
Based on Polaroids taken over a period of four years, Home on the Strange: In search of the Salton Sea depicts various aspects of the reality of life on the Salton Sea. In her trademark style of haunting American Realism, Martin skillfully and subtly examines concepts of worth and beauty and begs compelling questions about the psychology of place and the search for a sense of home.
