Tom Martin

Having won the Rotherham Artist of the Year Under 25, in 2007, Plus One Gallery is pleased to present the first solo show of photorealist artist Tom Martin. For this show, Martin continues to explore the minute details of everyday banal objects that are specifically relevant to his life: the food he eats, the gym equipment he uses and the intricate way these items react to light and their surroundings. Behind Martin's approach to making super-sized paintings of such everyday items lies a logic based on the unseen and more often, unobserved. 'I am able to pack in the many unseen intricate reflections and abstract bands of colour. The subject becomes fascinating despite it origins, as the viewer is enabled to see closer than we would normally care to do.' 

By referencing several photographs in the making of a single image, the composition of his work is often of a panoramic nature, despite being at very close range. In doing so, Martin explains, 'My aim primarily is to create an impossible existence, a hyper-reality itself. It is by emphasizing a shallow depth of field and panoramic view of the subject that I achieve this'  One simply has to look at paintings such as 'Perfect Porridge' and 'Grains with a Distinctive Nutty Flavour' to see that his aim has been a success. With works such as 'Another Source' and 'Non-GM' there is almost an element of humour in the foreboding grandeur that a bag of cereal and in another, trail mix is given. Once again, Martin uses the power of perspective to draw the viewer in, allowing them to look beyond the basic product to the intricate details of the folds, reflections and oddly, the beauty of the packages. 

What Tom Martin will focus on next, only he knows. But, as I look around my desk, it would not surprise me to learn that it is something I look at everyday and think nothing of.