Personal Mythology: Works by Percy Martin
CURATOR'S STATEMENT

Percy Martin loves a good story. In the form of books, movies, myths or tall tales, it is the story that provides both the bedrock and the ultimate spark that ignites his own imagination. Mythology has always been a favorite, and Martin's early work often reinterpreted these universal tales. Yet while the basic themes, symbols and story structure of many commonly known myths span all cultures and literally thousands of years, the specifics of each are as near and dear to each of us as if they were invented by our own grandmothers. Indeed, we often assume they were. Accordingly, Martin's early attempts at re-telling, in visual terms, the stories we all hold dear, often met with corrections and criticism. Seeking freedom from these expectations, Martin decided to invent his own personal mythology. This is how the Bushmen were born.

That was over thirty years ago. What has evolved since is a complex society born entirely of Martin's imagination and played out in hundreds of etchings, paintings, drawings and computer- generated images. Martin's Bushmen, who bear no connection to the Bushmen of Australia or Africa, come complete with names, family relationships, personal and shared histories, and cultural traditions and pastimes. Talking with Martin about the lives of his Bushmen is almost like taking a guided anthropological tour. There is no question about their movements and motivations he can't answer, nothing he hasn't thought through, no symbol he can't account for. The Bushmen do indeed provide fascinating and fertile subject matter: they continue to prove their worthiness with each new and complex work Martin produces.

While the history of the Bushmen is complex and many layered, so too is Martin's manner of depicting them. Layering is the key word- many activities are going on at once, many perspectives find their way into the same picture at the same time, sometimes right on top of each other. His compositions are dense, yet lyrical too. Traditional notions of fore, middle and background are suspended, as is gravity and realistic notions of perspective. Space and time take on a dream-like quality and Martin supports this through his choice of mediums and techniques. To create an etching (and in particular an aquatint) you must build texture upon texture until the desired gradient of darkness to light is reached. Watercolor painting is also a layering process, with the translucent and transparent being prominent attributes. With computer graphics images can be built upon other images to an almost limitless degree as well.

Each piece in the Bushman series speaks to a specific narrative and Martin's employs a vocabulary of reoccurring symbols to tell these stories. The women learn to fly when they come of age, for instance, so there are many images of women in flight, feathers adorning their arms. Men experience the walk-about, a dream journey where they can stroll by the past and present and into the future to see what may be in store. Glorious sacred birds nestle in corners and a pyramid shape, usually small and inconspicuous, can be found in almost every piece. Small elephants who figure prominently in male rites of passage (young men have to levitate over the elephants and touch their backs) are often major players in the scene as well. Moons, eggs, mirrors and other circular forms are also often seen.

All these symbols are universal in nature, just as the stories Martin tells through his work have universal meaning and can teach us the lessons we all need to learn. All of life is fodder for his work. Accordingly, his ideas are endless and the Bushmen will live on for a long long while to come, in both Percy Martin's imagination and in our own.

Nancy Sausser, Curator