Deborah Martin: "Home of the Strange: In Search of the Salton Sea" February 11, 2010

HOME ON THE STRANGE: IN SEARCH OF THE SALTON SEA
New work by Deborah Martin with collaborative works by Amy Sather Smith and Juli Vizza.

February 11-March 6, 2010

Artist Reception
Saturday, February 13th 6-10pm

Based on Polaroids taken over a period of four years, Deborah Martin paints portraits of landscapes depicting various aspects of reality of life on the Salton Sea; including scenes from Slab City, Salvation Mountain and Bombay Beach. Martin’s subject matter includes such curiosities as dilapidated trailers, an eerie outdoor living room, and a Technicolor monument built for Jesus, but belies so much more. In her trademark style of haunting American Realism, she skillfully and subtly examines concepts of worth and beauty and begs compelling questions about the psychology of place and the search for a sense of home.

Amy Sather Smith contributes text to supplement Martin’s paintings, providing a history of the Salton Sea and examining the dreams that originally attracted people to the area as well as the psychology that compels some to stay and others to still arrive.

Video artist Juli Vizza accompanied Martin on trips to the Salton Sea, taking film footage of the environs that inspired the series. What results is a masterfully pieced together visual translation of the unspoken language between landscape and painter, establishing the context that exists between a series of snapshot frames, where still life and life in motion intersect.