Ginger Martinez

There was a painting on my easel that started as something else entirely I laid down the first brush strokes trying to make something pretty. Soft blues, a gentle gradient. the kind of piece that photographs well. But somewhere in the second layer, it stopped listening to me. The color I reached for wasn't calm...it was raw. I wanted to push through not soothe. That's the moment Ive come to recognize. The moment a painting stops performing and starts telling the truth. If i had to distill...

Most of us were never taught how to buy art. We were taught how to match a sofa to a rug, how to measure for curtains and how to pick a paint color. But nobody handed us a guide for standing in front of a painting and trusting what we feel. Thus, we opt for safety. We select what harmonizes with everything, choosing items that won't upset anyone who enters. We choose things that won't offend anyone. Then, we question why our walls appear dull and uninteresting, lacking impact and emotion....

Recently, it's been challenging for me to work on large paintings due to the move and everything else going on. So, for now, I'm using what I have to create small abstract pieces simply because I feel the need to paint. This process has been incredibly helpful for expressing my emotions, and it comes without the pressure of needing to sell too much. These studies represent my plans for when I begin painting on a larger scale again. I'm returning to what feels authentic to me—the emotional...