Colete Martin – Visual Artist

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I paint femininity that demands attention and tender masculinity that invites introspection. I use the archetype of a nature goddess as a vessel to navigate themes of gender expression, power, and our carnal desires. When I paint portraits I’m closing the space between a fantastical subject and our own mundane emotions resulting in themes that one might recognize in themselves despite their roots in mythology and fantasy.”

BIO

Colete Martin paints vibrant fantasy portraits in acrylic paint. She navigates themes of power and gender by transforming her friends and family into brightly colored nature deities who live in a world parallel to ours.
Having grown up in the rural mountains of Oregon, Colete is inspired by her time spent in the woods. Her experiences have transmuted into paintings depicting wild femininity.
The narrative quality of her work was formed during her time studying illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute and the School of Visual Arts. Colete is deeply influenced by the ambiguity of Rae Klein and the world building of Robin F. Williams.

 

 

 

SHOWS

Sugar, Spice, Not Playing Nice, Gristle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, May 2021.
Pink, Splendorporium Gallery, Portland, OR, February 2021.
Call and Response, Shoebox PR, Online Exhibition, January 2021.
The 13th Hour, Splendorporium Gallery, Portland, OR, December 2021.
My Favorite Things, Elisabeth Jones Art Center, Portland, OR, 2021.
Tapped, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, 2020.
BFA 2020, Serving the People, Online Exhibition, 2020.
Location as Character, SVA Chelsea Gallery, NYC, 2019.

AWARDS

Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Achievement in Illustration, School of Visual Arts, 2020.
Alumni Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, 2020.
Gilbert Stone Full Tuition Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, 2019.
Silas H Rhodes Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, 2016.
Kansas City Art Institute Merit Scholarship, Kansas City Art Institute, 2014.

PUBLISHED WORK

FUNGI, Mycology Magazine, 2021.
Last Cast Fly Co, Sticker designs for summer 2021 collection, 2021.
Ministry of Awakening, Promotional Piece for Website, 2020.
Tapped 16, Manifest Gallery Juried Book Publication, 2019.
Ayre, Art Magazine, 2019.
Fresco News, Website promotional illustration, 2017.
Fresco News, Website banner, 2017.
Coffee Raven, Product Illustration, 2017.
Nasty Woman, Blog, In-house illustrator, 2016-2017.
Art Of The Car, Magazine, 2016.
Mundane Erotica, Coloring Book, 2016.
Sad Old Songs, Album Art, Aaran Fagan, 2015.