C.V.
Art Education:
Ipswich School of Art (Portrait Sculpture)
Norwich School of Art (Life drawing)
University of East Anglia, B.Ed. (Art & Design)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 2010 | 'Norwich Printmakers', Bankside Gallery, South Bank, London 'Norfok Contemporary Art 2010' The Forum, Norwich 'The Eastern Open' Kings Lynn 'Norwich 20 Group', The John Innes Centre, Norwich |
| 2002-2010 | 'LAST', Zurich, Switzerland Bircham Contemporary Art, Holt |
| 2009 | 'StoneEye, Orford Ness 2009', Peter Pears Gallery, Aldeburgh 'The Pastons Country' Grapevine, Norwich |
| 2008 | ‘Print Fair, Elements II’, The Forum,.Norwich |
| Castle Museum, Norwich | |
| Folkes Miller Fine Art, Long Melford, Suffolk | |
| 2004-2009 | Grapevine Gallery, Norwich. |
| COSA, Notting Hill, London | |
| 2007 | Outer Temple Chambers, (two person show), The Strand, London |
| 2006 | Chocolate Factory Gallery, Southwark. |
| Three person show, David Curzon Gallery, Wimbledon. | |
| John Allen Fine Arts, Core One, .Chelsea. | |
| ‘Forty by Four’, Atticus Arts, Bath | |
| Walker Galleries, Harrogate | |
| 2000-2005 | John Russell Gallery, Ipswich |
| 2000-2002 | NNAC Millenium Exhibition, Norwich .Cathedral |
| ‘British Contemporary Art‘, Deloitte & Touche, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Woodbine Contemporary Arts, Lincolnshire | |
| Field Dalling Gallery, Norfolk. | |
| Red Gallery, Marlow | |
| Taylor Contemporary Art, Twickenham. | |
| 1992-1999 | Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, Mall Galleries, London |
| Castle Museum, Norwich. | |
| Contact Gallery, Norwich. | |
| The Laing Open, Raveningham | |
| Heffer Gallery Cambridge. | |
| The Riverside Gallery, Snape Maltings | |
| Barn Galleries, Aston, Henley-on-Thames |
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2005/07/10 | LAST, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2005/07/09 | Grapevine Gallery, Norwich |
| 2002/04 | John Russell Gallery, Ipswich |
| 2003 | Bircham Contemporary Art, Holt |
| 1998-02 | Frames Gallery, Norwich |
| 1998 | The Music House Gallery, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh |
| 1996 | The Lantern Gallery, Walberswick |
| 1995 | The Frederick Gallery, Raveningham |
| 1994 | St. Gregory’s Art Centre, Norwich |
ART FAIRS & FESTIVALS
'Art on Paper', Royal College of Art, London .
London Art 2006, Islington.
Art London 2005, Chelsea
'Affordable Art Fair', Bristol & Battersea
The Reepham Festival 2008
The Norwich Print Fair (various dates)
Norfolk Visual Arts Festival Open Studio Scheme, 1997/98/99/2000/08/09/10
‘The Eastern Open‘, 1998/99/01/03/09/10, Fermoy Gallery, Kings Lynn
RESIDENCIES & COLLABORATIONS
2008: Over twenty artists and poets collaborated to produce a hand-made book and touring exhibition based upon the 'Paston Letters'
2008-09: Six artists work with the National Trust, responding to the former military site at Orford Ness, Suffolk
COLLECTIONS;
The National Trust
Deloitte & Touche, Zurich
Targetfollow PLC
The Sainsbury Centre Loan Collection, University of East Anglia
MEDIA
Cover painting and inserts for 'Each Crumbling House' by Melody S. Gee, winner of the 2010 Perugia Press Book Prize, USA
‘The Dictionary of Artists in Britain since 1945’, Ed. David Buckman
‘Wide Skies, a Century of Painting and Painters in Norfolk’ by A. May & B. Watts
Feature articles in the ‘Artist’ magazine, various dates
‘Arty-Facts’ (Featured artist), Imago productions for Anglia TV, July 2004
‘Paston Country ’ DVD documenting the creation of a unique hand made book by artists and writers. Argus Productions 2008
Jacket cover illustration for 'Four Funerals and a Wedding', by Ben Moss, Janus Publishing 2009
BIOGRAPHY
Martin Laurance began his career as an engraver and graphic designer, attending art school classes in portrait sculpture and life drawing before taking a B.Ed. in art and design. He has taught in high schools and adult education centres and now paints full time. After an early exhibiting career during which he held one-man shows in the UK. the Middle East and the USA, his interest in painting and printmaking began to be replaced by drawing and for a number of years he devoted his time solely to life drawing, rarely exhibiting these works.
By the mid 1990's his attention turned once again to landscape and he resumed solo exhibitions and participation in many group shows. After the discipline of the figure and the austerity of pencil and charcoal the scale of his work became large, with monochrome being replaced with vibrant colour.
Martin's work is in public, private and corporate collections in this country and abroad, including the National Trust, Deloitte and Touche (Zurich) and the Sainsbury Centre Loan Collection, University of East Anglia.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
My work is about landscape. In my paintings I try to convey the spirit and reality of a place. Going beyond the immediate sensation to something felt and experienced.
Many of my locations are very well known to me and have been walked over and drawn many times. In the studio I use this raw material to create a work that is true to my experience. By allowing other elements such as memory to enter the picture-making process the work becomes richer, and to me, more meaningful.
I work in a variety of mixed media; oil, acrylic, collage, ink, charcoal, watercolur and gouache, singly or in combinations on paper or canvas.
