JAMES MARTIN

James Martin worked primarily with gouache on brown paper, and sometimes added ink, graphite, charcoal, or collage while framing his own work. His figurative scenes are at first glance humorous, with a myriad of characters from parrots, fish, and monkeys to Shakespeare, Picasso, mermaids, and pilots. A closer read reveals Martin's ingenuity; he often utilized subtle visual word play, veering headlong into topics that without his deft hand might feel weighty. Martin used his free-flowing style of painting to depict a never-ending stream of characters. He certainly wasn't one to shy away from ideas or issues that at the corners of our collective psyche.


Martin held a BA from the University of Washington, Seattle, and showed his work at Foster/White Gallery for nearly two decades. His work was shown across the Northwest, including the Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; and Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA, and Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA. His paintings were shown alongside other Northwest Artists such as Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Mark Tobey, of whom Martin was a contemporary. James Martin is also the subject of Sheila Farr’s 2001 monograph, “James Martin: Art Rustler at the Rivoli.” His work is in collections such as that of Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; the Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA; and the University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

James Martin passed away on December 15, 2020. He was 92.

In Memoriam | James Martin, 1928 - 2020

James Martin on History Link

James Martin CV

James Martin 2015 Exhibition Catalog Journey Encounter with Day Glo

James Martin 2013 Exhibition Catalog Whole Cloth and Mirrors

13.75 X 17.25 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Lion In Bed With A Soda Cracker Box' | Available at fosterwhite.com
16.25 X 18.25 in. - $1,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Blue Harp' | Available at fosterwhite.com
10.5 X 14.5 inches. 16.5 x 19.5 inches framed - $1,500.00
White Flower
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12.25 X 21 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Short Movie' | Available at fosterwhite.com
19.5 X 24.25 in. - $2,200.00
James Martin Artwork 'Soft Chair Dancing + Wandering Shoe Tongue' | Available at fosterwhite.com
10.5 X 22 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Seascape' | Available at fosterwhite.com
19.25 X 11.5 in. - $1,350.00
James Martin Artwork 'Dandelion Face' | Available at fosterwhite.com
12 X 7.75 in. - $1,050.00
James Martin Artwork 'Sea Horse' | Available at fosterwhite.com
James Martin Artwork 'Untitled (Vase with Flower, Red and Yellow Background)' | Available at fosterwhite.com
12 X 9 in. - $1,100.00
James Martin Artwork 'Judge Judy' | Available at fosterwhite.com
19 X 14.5 in. - $2,200.00
James Martin Artwork 'Naked Rider' | Available at fosterwhite.com
19.5 X 15.25 in. - $1,800.00
James Martin Artwork 'Comic Rider' | Available at fosterwhite.com
14 X 16.5 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Portrait of Mr. Clicker Man' | Available at fosterwhite.com
15.5 X 23.25 in. - $2,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Red Wing Chair' | Available at fosterwhite.com
13.5 X 18.5 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Moonlit Picnic' | Available at fosterwhite.com
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17.25 X 13.5 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'The Ten Kopeck Glance' | Available at fosterwhite.com
16.3 X 10.3 in. - $1,200.00
James Martin Artwork 'Insp. Poirot' | Available at fosterwhite.com
19.25 X 14.5 in. - $1,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Monkey Toy + Spare Parts' | Available at fosterwhite.com
16.25 X 22 in. - $1,650.00
James Martin Artwork 'Home of the Sparrow Lady' | Available at fosterwhite.com
16.5 X 18.5 in. - $1,750.00
James Martin Artwork 'Anguished Portrait Riles Baby Fetterman' | Available at fosterwhite.com
14 X 19.5 in. - $1,450.00
James Martin Artwork 'Extra Parts & One Shoe' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 21.5 in. - $1,700.00
James Martin Artwork 'Godfather and Golden Lion' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 24 in. - $1,800.00
James Martin Artwork 'Untitled III (Fat Tony Series)' | Available at fosterwhite.com
15.3 X 18.5 in. - $1,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Mafias Child' | Available at fosterwhite.com
Sold
18 X 24 in. - $1,800.00
James Martin Artwork 'Pizza Connection' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 25.3 in. - $1,850.00
James Martin Artwork 'Warrior' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 24 in. - $1,800.00
James Martin Artwork 'Indictment' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 26.3 in. - $1,900.00
James Martin Artwork 'Black Tie' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 26 in. - $1,900.00
James Martin Artwork 'The Good Lookin' Dame' | Available at fosterwhite.com
17.75 X 25.5 in. - $1,850.00
James Martin Artwork 'Chinese Tea Caddy' | Available at fosterwhite.com
18 X 24 in. - $1,800.00
James Martin Artwork 'Player' | Available at fosterwhite.com
21.3 X 14.3 in. - $1,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Fat Tony' | Available at fosterwhite.com
16.75 X 16.5 in. - $1,450.00
James Martin Artwork 'Flying Saucer at 1st Baptist' | Available at fosterwhite.com
14 X 20 in. Unframed - $1,500.00
James Martin Artwork 'Artist in His Submarine with Big Shoe' | Available at fosterwhite.com
14 X 14.25 in. - $1,300.00
James Martin Artwork 'A Woman Turns' | Available at fosterwhite.com
13.5 X 18.5 in. Matted 17.25 x 22.25 - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'What the Eagle Sees Above "A Monkey in White Shoes"' | Available at fosterwhite.com
13 X 19 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Visit To The Museum' | Available at fosterwhite.com
13 X 19.5 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'Siegfried As Used Car Salesman' | Available at fosterwhite.com
Sold
19 X 13 in. - $1,400.00
James Martin Artwork 'George and His Guitar' | Available at fosterwhite.com
15 X 23 in. - $1,900.00
James Martin Artwork 'Studio With Yellow Chair' | Available at fosterwhite.com
11 X 19.5 in. - $1,450.00
James Martin Artwork 'Apparition Versus Monkey Business' | Available at fosterwhite.com
11 X 17 in. - $1,250.00
James Martin Artwork 'Against the Tide' | Available at fosterwhite.com
James Martin Artwork 'Stephen Hawking Is It A Lionel Train or The String Theory?' | Available at fosterwhite.com
23.5 X 15.75 in. - $1,700.00
James Martin Artwork 'Crow' | Available at fosterwhite.com
James Martin Artwork 'Untitled (Clock Tower, Self Portrait, Lion etc)' | Available at fosterwhite.com
15.5 X 14 in. - $1,300.00
James Martin Artwork 'Untitled II (Fat Tony Series)' | Available at fosterwhite.com
12 X 19 in. - $1,350.00
James Martin Artwork 'Knuckle Baller Full Moon' | Available at fosterwhite.com
17 X 16.5 in. - $2,200.00
James Martin Artwork 'Satyr's Bed Chamber' | Available at fosterwhite.com
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