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James Martin

born Everett, Washington, 1928; died Seattle, 2020

BiographyThough James Martin was an artist from an early age, he did not pursue it as a career until later in life. He received his BA in English from the University of Washington. After pursuing various odd jobs, he began working at the frame shop at Frederick & Nelson’s department store where he began to meet a number of local artists. Through the support and encouragement of painter Louise Gilbert he began exhibiting his paintings at the store’s Little Gallery then was accepted into a Northwest Annual at Seattle Art Museum. He began exhibiting at Seligman Gallery in 1958 and began a regular round of regional exhibitions.

Martin has earned respect for his humorous and quirky paintings that often reference the great works of Western art history. This reinterpretation of classic works of art is one of the defining traits of Martin’s painting.

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