CandyLand

About

Philip Michael Martin is a British painter, originally from Sheffield, he moved to London over thirty years ago to work in advertising as an art director, copywriter and latterly Creative Director at some of the most prestigious agencies in London. Many of the disciplines and craft he employed in that career can be found in his current work. Bold images that grab our attention. Acute understanding of composition. Striking use of colour. Observation of everyday life, and often the use of written words to help create a scene and direct our gaze. There is also a sense of playfulness and fun in his paintings. These are the kinds of paintings that when you see them hanging on a wall kind of make you want to smile. This is his third show after last year's sell out ‘Grit and Glamour’ and ’Tinsel Hearts’ exhibitions. In this latest collection Phil introduces us to a rogues gallery of Runyan-esque characters that exist in a place he calls ‘CandyLand.’ Surf Dudes. Muscle men. Hit men. Rogue Preachers. Tourists from other planets, Dude Cowboys and many more. These are the colourful citizens of CandyLand. A bloated sunshine state located somewhere between the desert, the sea, and the inside of Phil’s fevered imagination. Seedy motels. Palm Trees. Strip Clubs. Swimming Pools. Desert Highways. Laundramats. Neon Streets. These are the locations that Phil’s characters find themselves rubbing shoulders in. Each painting tells a different story. Like stills from a film. All rendered in Phil’s signature style. Part abstract. Part figurative. Often a blend of both. All laid out in glorious acrylic technicolour. The works are almost always on canvas, sometimes on board. He works with many different layers of paint, glue, oil and resin to build texture that gives the work a delicious physicality when seen in the flesh.