Hogarth
The Door ⬤
Years ago, rare book dealers acquired Sandra’s work and mentioned they had materials she may enjoy. She asked for the biggest pages they had and was rewarded by a crash course in Hogarth and text pages from from a large-scale (25” x 19”) 1822 Hogarth monograph. History buffs had already ripped out his illustrations but not the essays on his art, life and times 300 years ago. Turns out he was the first artist to get copyright and that resonates with Sandra deeply…among other Hogarth tidbits.
“Painting on old book pages frees me from potential blocks surrounding precious materials. The books themselves are past their prime in the antique market - when they come to me I gift them another life. I handle fragile fragments of someone else’s work, enshrined in shadow boxes, they are laden with paint, dirt and layers of meaning…they take another bow. Whatever remains readable is a nod to chance, everyone’s collaborator.”
Sandra Martinez’s symbolist works on paper are intuitive and meditative. Taking inspiration from surrealists, her process begins with loose contour drawings that can be read as abstracted human, plant, and shelter forms.
Gestural washes with a minimal palette build up in the work. Some areas are rubbed, erased, cut, collaged, or laden with dirt. The resulting surfaces range from sparse to thick. Sometimes, they develop into a weaving design, sometimes not. Her work on Hogarth Monograph pages spans many years and goes forward as the scale and content continue to inspire Sandra.
