Martin Decent |
Martin Decent is a contributor to the Royal Society of Marine Artists and he is published by Solomon & Whitehead as one of their catalogued artists, currently having 10 paintings reproduced as limited edition prints. He is a contributor to the fine art magazine: International Artist, with a 12 page profile published in August 2000. In 2002 he was commissioned to write a book fully explaining gouache painting. He also has written a section within “The Encyclopaedia of Painting Techniques” - published December 2005.
He has been commissioned by corporate and public bodies including Trent Regional Health Authority, Leicester University, The National Probation Service and Lloyds TSB Bank.
“I am concerned with colour, composition and texture within my paintings. This often reflects my interest with the “beauty” of randomness to be found within nature. The paintings are often intended to be a “snapshot” of something far wider in dimension and far more likely to have changed over time. The confines of the edge of the canvas represents, for me, a “box” which can contain these transitory moments.
Change through erosion caused by the ebb and flow of water is a recurring theme. I often use gold and silver leaf as elements that signify immutability and stability amongst a continuous sea of change. Recurring symbolism or totems alongside “ found objects” and collage has always been important in my work. None of these paintings are intended to be realistic; they are more my interpretation of subjects that are intended to interact with the individual”
To quote Matisse “ There is something unexplored in everything, because we have grown used to letting our eyes be conditioned by the memory of what others have thought before us...”