Martin Sugarman "Paintings 2000 to 2012"

Gallery 169 is proud to announce paintings by Dr. Martin Sugarman. 

The forty plus more colorful paintings are now on display at the Gallery 169 in the Santa Monica Canyon, a compilation of my work spanning the last twelve years. 

The subject matter of many canvases deal with the local environment, capturing the nuanced shapes and forms of its beau

tiful landscape. Many moods of the ocean are depicted in expressive colors, familiar scenes to many of us, yet viewed in a different and new way. 

I am a product of my early circumstances. The clearest memory I have of my childhood is the changing landscape looking out a car window and seeing time and space change shape. Roadside motels, desert hotels, neon signs, hot rods, surfing, hiking, tear drop swimming pools, horseback riding, trout fishing and sleeping under the stars. Travel offered a cauldron of changing views of the world. Images of this world remain active and strong within me. 

I have been fortunate to have lived a surrealistic life. I have encountered many different cultures enriching my visual vocabulary. 

My work as a photographer concerns the destiny of humankind and the sacrifice of the species. Over a stretch of ten years I documented human strife and war across the globe. Much of this work is hard to look at. I've changed my focus of late as if a wave has lifted me up and swept me in its white water. I am more interested now in the fascinating spectacle of everyday life. 

The earth, sky and ocean have been my abiding themes in my paintings. The force of transformation and dialectal change are the dominating elements that best describe my work and individuality. 

The compositions have the appearance of fiction, yet they are real. The language of painting is not about correspondence but rather about significant realities made manifest and experienced. 

I hope you find the work moving and enjoyable, bringing sunshine to your face. 

PRESS​