Meet Angus Martin | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angus Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angus, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe finding your point of difference in a world full of choice is beneficial to success – Find what inspires you, what makes you weird, what makes you wonderful, what makes you want to draw and create, what makes you not want to put the paint brush down.

Success came when I stopped painting what I thought people wanted to see, stopped focusing on what colours were classified as ‘on-trend’, stopped playing it safe and limiting what I wanted to paint versus what I thought would sell, stopped analysing every painting and wondering if it is as good as those I look up to… Success came when I stopped over-thinking.

Painting is my therapy, my escape, my way of silencing a loud mind – So when it began to have the opposite effect, I knew I needed a new strategy, and that strategy was in a way, no strategy at all… It was releasing all pressure and painting what I want to see, choosing colours based on what feels right in the moment and started to expand and explore the reason I started painting in the first place.

Overall, being true to yourself is the most authentic way to success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My goal is to illicit an emotional connection that people can relate to from their own experiences, as every piece holds positive hidden meaning and symbolism which acts as a daily reinforcement to the viewer. I think creating something that has its own story and meaning behind it is so special to someone that resonates with it, as it can uplift their space and mood whilst being a daily positive reminder of what they have been through, or where they are going.

Back in 2017 I started to paint ‘personalized artworks’ where I would translate couples wedding vows, or the story of how they met into a painting, and use the colours from wedding photos, floral bouquets, honeymoon photos, first photo together, or favourite photo. I would get a visual of the vows and put paint to paper incorporating meaning behind the words with special symbolic storytelling and colour infused with essential oils that relate to the story. This turned into creating family stories, family portraits including pets. Personalised artwork is a unique way to express a memory, significant event, gift, or special moment in your life.

During this period of creating, I expanded my creativity and realized I love to find meaning in everything, I’ve always liked to explore the meanings behind my favourite songs, lyrics, quotes, and poems and started to draw these realizations. When I get lost in music and words, I see the song visualized into characters, poses, colours and emotions… Almost like a video clip that plays unintentionally, or how I imagine the song or quote/poem would look as a static drawing. I get transfixed and inspired by the mental imagery and translate these visuals onto paper accompanied by my interpretation of the symbolic meaning behind them and select colours that heighten the intended emotion behind the piece.

Colours are bonded with feelings and emotions – They can affect our outlook, mood and influence our thoughts. If I am painting a piece about growth and shedding old ways, I like to use green tones as this represents renewal… Pieces about finding peace are rich with contrasting pastel blues as they symbolize tranquility and calm… During this process I get lost in the moment and sketch the shapes as I paint using brush lines and strokes as measurements which eventually form an arrangement of overlapped cohesive colour schemes and sharp fragmented shapes around an untouched paper line – Not a subsequent drawn line… It’s a meditative process in which time slows down and nothing else matters but the pressure and alignment of each brush stroke.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love to escape the city, so I would definitely suggest a day trip south of Sydney to do a hike in the Royal National Park via Bundeena, have lunch and a swim at Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, or explore the main street of Berry.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Mum deserves a shoutout as she is my biggest fan, and has never missed one of my Exhibitions – Her home is also full of framed artworks that I painted when I was younger. My love of music stems from her always having music playing when I was younger, particularly Beth Orton, Sarah Mclachlan, Rufus Wainwright and Natalie Merchant, who I still listen to for inspiration. She also often had essential oils burning – Which I now do every day, much like colours can affect your emotions, essential oils can also affect your mood and energy – I always paint with oils burning, and sometimes add these to the paints. If I am painting a personalized artwork for an anniversary or a special gift, I like to add a few drops of Ylang Ylang Oil to the paints as it symbolizes passion, once framed you can’t smell the oil, but it’s nice to know the painting is infused with an added layer of meaning.

I am also full of appreciation and gratitude towards my partner who has always helped me to achieve my goals, encourages me to chase my dreams and always cheers me on to keep moving forward through any setbacks.

Website: www.angusmartinart.com

Instagram: @angusmartinart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angusmartinart

Other: Tik Tok – angusmartinart

Image Credits
Styling – Rory James Carter Photography – Jorge Rivera / Alastair Flack