Who is Daniel Martin?

WHO IS HE?

“Everything starts in our brain, creating reality as we perceive it for ourselves”

Who is Daniel Martin?

I was born in the Hague in the Netherlands in 1982. Quite early on my parents moved to Leiden, a city known for being the birthplace of Rembrandt, where he painted his first works. I was creating from a young age, but my interests went towards computer graphics during my teenage years. After my studies, I started my own company in 3D graphics in Amsterdam. During that eight-year period, I was painting a lot next to my work and when the right time came, I quit it all together and became a full-time artist.

What is the reason for the presence of Man/human portrait in your artworks?

I would like to quote David Altmejd who says the head is the beginning and end of our universe. Everything starts in our brain, creating reality as we perceive it for ourselves. For me, the portrait is the starting point to discover alternative shapes of matter. I like to see how much a portrait can be abstracted before it will become something else. For inspiration I look at nature and what form it can bring to materials. When looking at natural materials and how many shapes they can take on, you see the transmutational properties of it. Like there is no general truth as to how we perceive an object. For example a piece of rock can take on the appearance of a face, and visa versa.

In your art and style, which kind of people are covered and what factors have the most impact on you?

The figures I use in my portraits are non existing people. I do not want to portray an identity, they are devoid of ego. I like using the human form as it is, what we know most, so it serves as a perfect base to examine new forms. A bit further down the line are my paintings the 'element series', they only show pure basic organic shapes just as some of my sculptures do.

Have you ever been questioned or judged by drawing any painting?

I do not believe in questioning or judging somebody on their creations. Critique is fine, great even, because it will help you grow and understand your endeavours in a different way. But by judging you push somebody in a certain corner that will benefit nobody. Judging implies somebody knows better and can tell you what to do, or not to. If you are in a process of growth, and try to understand what you do, judgement by others might make you question the wrong things. That is not what creation is about. So to answer your question if i ever have been judged, yes i have been but i don't listen.