Ralph Fabri Medal

MISTY MARTIN – Master Artist of Acrylic and Fine Art.  Acrylic paint is Misty’s medium of choice for her signature photorealistic/hyperrealistic style. Acrylics allow her to achieve extra-fine detail and complex color enhancements needed to produce a visually stunning image. Acrylics also allow her to paint layer upon layer needed to coax out the relentless, intractable dynamic of aging. Her focus is on gallery and museum collections with works in the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Mexico.

There are only six artists worldwide who have achieved Master Artist status with the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) because the rules are so stringent.   To become a Master Artist with NOAPS, Misty accomplished:  1st – being accepted by NOAPS; 2nd – being accepted into an Exhibit; 3rd – Signature Artist status for 3 out of 5 years; 4th – first place win 3 out of 5 years.

Misty is the recipient of many honors and awards including:

•  International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP) where she has Signature Artist status
• Best International Artist at the Westminster exhibition of the National Acrylic Painters Association of the U.K.
• Ralph Fabri Medal received at the National Society of Painters in Caseine and Acrylic Painters Society exhibition at the Salamagundi Club in New York
• Tate Modern Museum in London has a permanent collection of her slides
• Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wasau, Wisconsin for the flagship Birds in Art exhibition where she has shown 6 times.  Every time she entered, she was accepted – something that is almost unheard of.

Her latest achievement is an invitation to exhibit at the prestigious Florence, Italy Biennale event eARTh – Creativity & Sustainability taking place October 2017.  It is an invitation only art show and attracts people from all over the world.   It is extremely difficult to get an invitation but once you have been invited, you are eligible to participate every year.

  

Acrylics allow Misty to achieve the extra-fine detail and the complex color enhancements needed to produce a visually stunning photorealistic/hyperrealistic image.

In an interview, Misty said “Peeling paint, weather-beaten woodwork, rusted iron works, crumbling plaster – this is the imagery that fascinates me. Distressed architecture tells so many stories… Acrylics let me paint the layer upon layer needed to ‘coax out’ the relentless, intractable dynamic of aging.”

Misty moved to Cabo because of its vibrant art community and she wanted to exhibit her work at one of the best galleries in town.  She met Ida Gustavson and Pete Signorelli from Galeria de Ida Victoria and it was a perfect match.  Ida and Pete are very conscientious art gallery owners with high ethics and a great reputation.  Misty has been teaching art for 25 years and is excited about teaching at Galeria de Ida Victoria where she can plant the art seed in her students. “Creativity needs to be encouraged and taught at all ages.”  She gives you the tools and the technique so you can create your own piece through your artistic expression.  This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to take a class from this amazing award winning Master Artist.

Misty Martin grew up in a small town in Oklahoma on a farm and came from modest means. She has no art degree – she believes art should not be pompous or pretentious – art should not be exclusive.  Everyone has artistic expression whether it is a stick person or a masterpiece.

When people purchase her art, it allows her to continue with her craft so she is very grateful to her patrons and collectors.  But she also is honored when someone spends their hard earned money on one of her pieces.  Her favorite story is about a piece that she sold to a military woman that paid her $20 a month for a year.

I have never held a paint brush but I am so inspired that I have signed up for a class.  In Part 2 of this series on Misty, I will share my experiences in her class.

I could write about this world class artist for hours, but I wanted to end with something truly inspiring.   Misty started painting boudoir pictures of military soldiers’ wives. These soldiers were deployed to war zones and the paintings were welcome home gifts from their wives.  They were very tastefully done – like the old Masters – and she saw the confidence of these women grow beyond belief.  She also experienced watching big burly soldiers break down and cry because their wives gave them this amazing gift.

Misty now calls Los Cabos her home where she lovingly tends to her collection of cats that she has rescued over the years.  Welcome Misty Martin – we are so blessed to have you in our community.