The Drawings of Traci Martin - A Mini Guest Exhibit
1/13/2020
With tools of the trade in tow, Traci Martin and her husband made the move from Oklahoma to Greenville, SC and began connecting with the local art scene. We started seeing Martin at our events and became familiar with her face. After a few conversations, we took a look at Traci’s work and fell in love with the technical realism contrasted with elements of flat collage. We knew that a mini guest exhibit with Traci had to happen.
The overall narrative in her portrait and figurative work addresses the idea of representation, weaving contemporary realism with abstract design elements. Her primary focus is the legacy of women in art history and exploring our evolving identities as women artists today.
After graduating with a BA in Art from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, she spent her early career showing extensively in the Oklahoma and Texas art scenes, with artist residencies in Oklahoma, Arizona and Alaska. Solo and group shows have included the Oklahoma State Capitol gallery, Oklahoma Contemporary, IAO Gallery, The Goddard Center, and Studio 107, where she was co-owner for four years. Her work has found its way to both private and public collections in over 22 states and 5 countries. She has received numerous awards and top accolades in regional juried shows in the south, claiming more than a dozen “Best in Show” titles. Most recently, Martin has participated in the juried group show “It Could Be You: Portraiture in a Constructed World” at Equity Gallery in New York City where she received a third place award. In 2019 alone, Martin’s work has been published in the contemporary French art review magazine Circle Arts Quarterly, lifestyle magazine House of Huckleberry in Oregon, Oklahoma Today magazine, and nationally released children’s book Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints. Her work has also been featured in the Realism Today newsletter as “Ambassador of the Week”, and on the curated Instagram platform, Blue Review.