Martin was born in 1955 in Surrey, England. When he was 2 years old, his family moved abroad and for periods of time during his childhood and youth Martin lived in places as diverse as West Africa, Ireland, Germany ,Malaya and Norway. As a young adult Martin continued to travel every summer, exploring much of Southern Europe. The rich and varied experiences of that early life have in many direct and subtle ways influenced Martin’s development as an artist.
In 1978 , having first studied Architecture and Foundation Arts, Martin completed a Degree in Printed and Woven Textiles at Manchester. This grounding in Architecture and Textiles, both arts which have a practical application and deal with the flat surface as well as 3 dimensional space and form, has informed the evolution of Martin’s work. In his first studio near Piccadilly Train Station, Manchester, Martin produced Prints and Paintings, often inspired by architectural shapes, and soon started to explore possibilities of working with Relief and Sculpture. The interest in investigating these different disciplines and the interplay of flat surface and constructed form has characterized Martin’s work ever since,
As well as exhibiting his work in London and across the North West Martin has completed Public Sculpture Commissions and produced pieces for Corporate Collections. In these cases Martin may work in close consultation with his clients taking into account the specific brief and requirements of the site in which the work will be seen.
For the last 5 years Martin has been a member and the administrator of the Rogue Artist Studios in Manchester. Of his recent work Martin says: “My painting, which has become increasingly more abstract, is concerned with exploring … colour, mark making, pattern and that elusive and mysterious quality that makes a good painting. In my most recent sculptural work the painted surface has become the raw material for the three dimensional form. …I think there will always be a decorative element in my work, in as much as I want to excite the eye as much as stimulate the mind.”