Shabtis. Shabtis were servant statues used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. They were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants for the deceased in the afterlife and perform all the routine jobs of daily life. They often had hieroglyphs describing their abilities. Most shabtis were small but not all. Sometimes they covered the floor around a sarcophagus and are now one of the most commonly represented objects in Egyptology displays. The tomb of Tutankhamun had a large number of shabtis of varying sizes. Most were ornate, with hieroglyph statements describing their tasks. These sculptures are imaginative figures invoking the idea and feeling of a Shabti.

Shabti & Ancient Egyptian Animal gods

Inspiration: - Oscar Wilde quote: “We’re all lying in the gutter, but some of us are staring at the stars.” The idea of a stargazer / dreamer, or a watcher / protector. Someone who can see through the everyday and beyond the obvious. Someone who looks for what is real and dares to wonder. People have always watched the stars and considered their own place in the universe. Hopefully some humour shown too.

The sculptures are made with a direct honesty to the nature of the material.

Stargazers / UFOs

Classical Greek Art, Literature, History, Myths and Legends and the many traditions of Ancient Greece have always fascinated me. Ancient Greek vases and the wonderful collection in the British Museum in London give great enjoyment and suggest endless opportunities for creativity. They depict fabulous stories of Gods, heroes and many characters and the adventures they undergo exploring universal themes just as relevant today.

Ancient Greek Characters

Norse mythology is fascinating with its wonderful stories of deities, beings, and heroes. It comes from Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Germany and UK. This Nordic folklore has tales that come from many sources both before and after pagan times and through the Christian period.

Norse Deities

Several of Shakespeare's plays include watchers, gate-keepers, and other minor characters who discuss events and display great insight into things to come. The idea of a sentinel, watcher or protector. A figure that can see through the everyday and beyond the obvious. Someone who communicates on an emotional level.

Sentinels

The future – Green Issues – Climate Change - Steampunk. Humans are incredibly creative so whatever happens in the future there will always be Artists and Poets and inventive people of all kinds. I also really enjoy the Steampunk connection. Basically it is a figurative sculptural form I love making and developing.

Poets & Artists - Gas Masks

Every ceramic panel tells a fascinating story. They are inspired by Classical Greek Myths and Legends and the many traditions in Ancient Greece. I love ancient Greek vases, especially the wonderful collection in the British Museum in London. They depict fabulous stories of Gods and heroes and the incredible adventures they undertake, including Gods - Demi-gods – Muses - Nymphs - Musicians - Warriors - Acrobats - Sports and scenes from family life. The stories from Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad are a particular favourite for inspiration.

Ceramic Panels

A celebration. This sculpture is made with a direct honesty and enjoyment of the nature of the material. Clay is a wonderful material to work with. It can be pulled, squashed, shaped and squeezed. It takes an impression like no other material and, being a basic "earth" material, it is a joy to work with. Natural and manufactured objects are used to make impressions and produce strong textures. The work shows the way as it progresses into a finished piece. The hand becomes as important as the eye and the mind. As you observe the piece and wander around it with the eye, so to speak, hidden forms shapes and textures appear. A single beautiful glaze gives further interest and identity to the sculpture.

Hidden Places

Inspiration: - The Ancient Greeks and Romans used the concept of Personifications to show many attributes and ideas such as aspects of nature, as well as many human characteristics.

The sculptures are made with a direct honesty to the nature of the material. Clay is a wonderful material that can be pulled, squashed, shaped and squeezed. It takes an impression like no other material and, being a basic "earth" material, it is a joy to work with.

Personifications

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” Leonardo da Vinci
I love painting as well as sculpture and here I have found a way to pursue both. I like the idea of artists showing their work. So many possibilities to show the figure and painting ideas. Humour intended too. The painting is not fixed so it can be changed. All totally unique.

Opera singers are so expressive. The way they move their body, hands and faces to support the music is so wonderfully sculptural. All singers have this characteristic and it’s enjoyable to let the sculpture suggest what is being sung.

Artists & Opera Singers

Although small this conceptual painting has quite a bite and is based on the philosophical problem of knowledge: i.e. how can we know the difference between appearance and reality when our senses are often inaccurate? For example; how do you really know you are standing / sitting here reading this and not a brain in a vat connected to a computer? (Putnam) How do you know an evil demon is not tricking you? (Descartes) How do you know you are not just watching shadows in a cave? (Plato) Can you be absolutely sure you are not dreaming? 

Dogs

These sculptures are made with a direct honesty to the nature of the material. The work shows the way as it progresses into a finished piece. The hand becomes as important as the eye and the mind.

I use white stoneware clay and make using slab and carving techniques. Natural and manufactured objects are used to make impressions and produce strong textures.

Lovely to hold – they have a great “feel” about them.

Each piece is handbuilt and unique.

Any questions please get in touch.

Greek Gods

These highly textured paintings are achieved through a purely intuitive process.  A spontaneous use of materials and tools are employed throughout.  Surface features are layered, scraped and scratched giving 3D and textural qualities and a strong sculptural feel to the work.  Often I include materials such as sand, gravel, pumice, and pieces of canvas and hessian.  This builds up to give a beautiful and fascinating surface that has a sculptural quality.  These additions are collected from places I have visited around the world.

The titles of the paintings make oblique references to theories in modern physics or philosophy, whichever seems appropriate in a subconscious way. All interesting ideas to play with.



Spontaneity Series

The inspiration for these paintings come from the components of atomic nuclei as explored by the LHC (Large Hadron Collider. After accelerating particles up to near the speed of light they are made to collide in an explosion revealing different elemental particles of the atom. A major group of particles in atomic nuclei are quarks. Other elemental particles are also used.

The title of the painting is the name of a quark or particle as felt appropriate. Please forgive all this info but I just love the idea of Science and Art coming together. I have used the idea of these collisions to express what the result might feel like.

Elemental Partical Series

Inspiration: The nobility, wisdom and peace suggested by many ancient sculptures transposed into a modern context. A feeling of tranquillity and knowledge. A sense of communication. Textures add interest, smoking and gold leaf accentuate the textures.

Technique: Hand built and unique. Red earthenware clay, slab and coil built and fired to 1000c in an electric kiln. Post fired in a sawdust kiln. Burnished and then embellished with 22ct gold leaf.

All sculptures are now sent in wooden cases to prevent any possible damage in transit.

Terracotta figures

These "Earth" Paintings are very, very loosely based on the idea of, and feel of, desert and ancient landscapes, whilst exploring universal symbols such as circles, standing stones and the sea. I try to express an internal response and sense of wonder. Living on the Sussex Coast I am conscious of the character of the sea and how it demonstrates elemental forces that are constantly changing, yet changeless. I enjoy desert landscapes and natural features affected by weather and erosion. A wide range of texturing materials are used, often from the places of inspiration. Also a large variety of techniques are employed including layering, scraping and impasto work. The edges show the development of the painting which I see as an added interest.

Earth Series

These highly textured paintings are inspired by Homer’s epic poem "The Odyssey" based on Greek mythology. The Odyssey is such a rich source of creative inspiration with its wonderful descriptions of bravery, struggle and intelligence. Odysseus is on his ten year struggle to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He has many adventures before finally reaching home. Constantine Cavafy’s wonderful poem "Ithaca," which is about Odysseus’ 10 year journey home to Ithaca, is a further source of inspiration for the paintings. The paintings give the feeling of a journey across the canvas, adventures on the way and the heat of the Aegean. The 4cm edges show the development of the work and are an added attraction.

Odysseus Series

The inspiration for this series of conceptual paintings comes both from the philosophy of Heidegger and the life giving and life sustaining benefits of modern medicine. Every drop of paint used for the painting has passed through a syringe - a life keeper/giver - therefore “Life” in the title (in this case insulin). Each application of paint takes approximately the same time as preparing and administrating an injection. “Being and Time” is the title of a major work by Heidegger arguing that in “being” and “becoming” all we really have / own is “Time” – i.e. the time we take up in living. Sartre’s work “Being and Nothingness” continued from there. The painting is very colourful and decorative - a celebration of life.

Life Being Time Series

Purely for the fun of it!
Thought:

Our father Adam sat under the tree and
scratched with stick in the mould,
And the first rude sketch that the world
had seen was joy to his mighty heart,
Till the Devil whispered behind the leaves,
"it's pretty but is it art?"

Rudyard Kipling


Dick Martin