About Martina Glastonbury

Discovery

I have painted all my life and had my first solo exhibition in 1991 at 19. My work was then loud and expressive. In 1998-2000 I studied models and still life at the renowned Gerlesborgs Art School in Stockholm, followed by second-year entry at BA in Fine Art Painting in Swansea, Wales, UK.

2016 I started painting professionally and have since exhibited in a few independent galleries in Devon and Devon Open Studios. I've also just had an exhibition at Centrespace Gallery in Bristol's old town (in March 2022).

I expect my style to keep evolving and mature. I seldom repeat what I do. Sometimes I get inspired by my own paintings and perhaps that is the reason why my work is so personal. My subject is often figurative as I love life drawing, but I usually put my models in imaginary landscapes and create my own story with them. I tend to abstractify my work, and I also love pure abstract compositions. Colour has a vital part; often harmonious, intense and emotional. I aim to expand my repertoire of shapes I love and see how these will feed into my larger pieces. I paint and draw in all kinds of mediums. I started in oil, but now I often use acrylics, pastels, graphite and charcoal. I also use cold wax, mixed media and gold leaf.

I work intuitively. I use my life experiences and see what happens when I paint. Most of my work comes purely from inner self-exploration and experimentations through play as a self-discovery.

The work explores what lies beneath the surface as experienced by my inner world and my relationship to different subjects. Influenced by nature and by my emotions, the work captures a feminine expression: sometimes bold, also sensitive, telling stories from the quiet and calm, to the energetic, lively and sensual.

I’m passionate about creating work that inspires and gives the viewer a sense of connection to an inner power. It is about vulnerability and what goes unseen between ourselves and the natural world. Some of my work is about mindfulness and tranquillity. Other work is connected to strong energy. I soak it all up. My emotions are transparent in my work. There are moments of wonder and fear, dreams and delusions, joy and aliveness.

I need silence every day and also be alone in the studio. Music is also an important part of my day. We play a lot of instruments in our house. There is an eerie inspiration from Swedish folk music. When my husband plays his nyckelharpa, it touches me, and I am once again a child wandering the fields.

That inner connection is what I live on as an artist. It is my inner world that keeps me inspired. I am led by a drive full of curiosity and a need to paint.

Martina Glastonbury

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