Jennifer is interested in how mental states alter our engagement with reality, the way that psychological shifts can imbue seemingly banal everyday objects or even surface patterns with a kind of confused aura to hint at a melancholic undertow. Her work is predominantly painting, including having made a film and performance. Multiple ways of working allow her to explore the tension between immediacy and more procedural forms of making. Collage is the thinking process; painting is how images and patterns are determined that hint at a deeper significance. The artist’s own photography makes reference to the unending and overwhelming flow of images on social media, fashion in particular. Painting these (cutting, pasting and editing) is an attempt to make ‘fast’ images become slower and more captivating. This clash of the mass produced, the hand-made, the commercial image and the privacy of one’s inner visual world is central to the work. With regard to references beyond painting and narrative logic, Jennifer is drawn to cinematography, specifically the composition, how colour can determine a mood and pattern can trigger nostalgia.
Martin graduated with honours in Psychology and Neuroscience at Leeds University in 2003. She has also studied at Central St. Martins completing a Foundation course and a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art. In 2010 she qualified as a secondary school art teacher and is the founder of Artbuddies. She was part of the Turps Banana Art School in 2012, mentored by Marcus Harvey. Jennifer has completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center, USA as well as in Berlin and Los Angeles. Having worked in the Advertising industry before her teaching career, Martin enjoys collaborating with brands and has done so with Estee Lauder, MC Overalls, & Laura Bailey. She has had solo exhibitions in London. New York, & Los Angeles.