JENNY MARTIN RSW : PATTERNS OF LIFE
The Promise of Spring Framed Size: 94 x 53 cm 94 53
Spring Glory Framed Size: 87 x 87 cm 87 87
Allium Christophii Framed Size: 51 x 51 cm 51 51
Glimpse of the Maidens’ Courtyard Framed Size: 50 x 50 cm 50 50
Harlequin Jugs Framed Size: 51 x 51 cm 51 51
Jewelled Chamber Framed Size: 50 x 50 cm 50 50
Tranquil Rose Framed Size: 50 x 50 cm 50 50
Late Flowering Framed Size: 100 x 76 cm 100 76
Vintage Lustre Jugs Framed Size: 95 x 53 cm 95 53
Black Parrot Tulips Framed Size: 62 x 54 cm 62 54
Jewelled Arch, Real Alcazar Framed Size: 26 x 38 cm 26 38
Doll’s Courtyard Framed Size: 33 x 41 cm 33 41
Crown Imperial Fritillaria Framed Size: 58 x 74 cm 58 74
First Signs of Spring Framed Size: 33 x 33 cm 33 33
Fruits of Autumn Framed Size: 33 x 33 cm 33 33
Fritillaria and Bird Framed Size: 73 x 73 cm 73 73
Courtyard of the Hunt, Real Alcazar Framed Size: 69 x 82 cm 69 82
Black and White Jug Framed Size: 33 x 33 cm 33 33
Geometric Ceramics Framed Size: 73 x 41 cm 73 41
Orange Fritillaria Framed Size: 33 x 33 cm 33 33
Summer Bells and Greenfinch Framed Size: 45 x 63 cm 45 63
Flaming Tulips Framed Size: 46 x 54 cm 46 54
Alhambra Doorway Framed Size: 35 x 53 cm 35 53
Wild Chamomile and Ringed Plover Framed Size: 46 x 58 cm 46 58
From the House of Adonis Framed Size: 51 x 56 cm 51 56
Hearts and Flowers Framed Size: 51 x 51 cm 51 51
Confetti Hydrangea Framed Size: 37 x 37 cm 37 37
We are very excited about our our first major exhibition of Jenny Martin’s work. In 1991 Jenny was accepted onto Edinburgh University’s Fine Art course, which combined History of Art studies with practical painting training over five years. An MFA at Edinburgh College of Art followed, along with a transformative John Kinross Scholarship to Florence, where drawing in Tuscany’s churches and museums established a practice of sketching that is still at the heart of her practice today. Teaching at Edinburgh College of Art and later at Leith School of Art has run alongside her career as an artist. In 2022 Jenny was elected to the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), where she now serves as Vice President.
Jenny’s paintings usually begin with a colour palette or floral motif and evolve through collage, traced patterns, and layers of paint. Objects, birds, and architectural elements shift and change as she works toward a harmonious composition. Recently, she has been inspired by the richly decorated interiors of the Alhambra and the Real Alcázar in Andalucia. She draws on pattern’s unique capacity to create calm within complexity. Every inch of the surface is filled with detail, pattern and colour, yet rather than overwhelming the eye, this density generates its own sense of rhythm and flow.
Drawing on the infinite possibilities contained within single motifs – the Moorish eight-pointed star, the black triangle on a ceramic vessel, a flower petal – Jenny uses each repetition to create new and harmonious visual relationships across the surfaces of her paintings. Her paintings invite the viewer into a space of abundance and contemplation, perhaps mirroring in some ways the Seville palaces and decorative traditions she admires so much.
Jenny works in mixed media, starting with collaged papers, before building up the surface with acrylic paint and watercolour pencil. She works with a close-up intensity, with each juxtaposition of colour or pattern considered and consolidated. The aim is to create a kind of ‘painter meets textile designer meets collector’ result. You can hear a bit more about Jenny’s process in the film below:
On Sunday October 5th, Jenny will join us in the gallery for a fascinating insight into her sketchbooks. She works extensively in sketchbooks, which serve as a place to observe, experiment, and develop ideas. Some sketchbooks aim to capture scenes or objects directly, others explore pattern, composition, and process through collage, drawing, and notes. Jenny will bring many of her favourite sketchbooks for people to look through while creating some still life sketches live in the gallery. A teacher at Leith School of Art for decades, Jenny will be delighted to answer questions about processes, techniques and materials!
