When did you start your creative practice and why?
I’ve been painting in oils since 2019 but it was only when I started painting Plein-Air at the beginning of 2025 when my work started to make sense to me. I was always a creative in some form, through my 20’s I was a musician playing guitar, then I did some graffiti/street art. I always loved paintings, but for whatever reason I wasn’t in the head space to commit to it. Once I did, that mix of being outside in the natural world with my paint box, it just felt right.. I believe its what I'm supposed to be doing. It took me a long while to figure that out. I love the adventure of painting outside, you never really know what you are going to see or who you might meet.
How would you describe your artistic style to someone unfamiliar with your work?
Im a representational painter, but I like my work to feel and look suggestive/impressionistic. I enjoy the challenge of seeing how much I can get away with, suggestion over detail is always more pleasing to me. I like the viewer to complete parts of the painting for me, because this is how I see the world and I believe how we all actually see.
What themes or ideas do you find yourself returning to most often?
I’m always drawn to natural forms in nature, local landscapes mainly, trees, familiar footpaths and how different light conditions and atmosphere can transform a familiar scene dramatically. Currently I’m looking for abstract shapes within a landscape that could be tree roots one day and light and shadow the next.
What is your creative process from idea to finished piece is it always the same?
Generally ill scout out a location to find a composition, the subject doesn’t matter, as long as I can make a compelling arrangement I can paint it. Ill then do a small plein air colour study which will either be good enough as a piece, or that will inform a larger studio painting.
What do you find challenging as an artist, and how do you overcome these challenges?
Simplifying - painting is problem solving, I'm constantly looking at ways to improve and abstract the world around me. Its hard, particularly outdoors but I know that and never standing still will eventually get me over any artistic challenge.
How does your immediate environment or location play in your work?
Having a young family means I'm forced to look local and closely, I'm always trying to find the grand canyon in my own backyard. I believe in that and its a quote that helped me the most.
How do you balance artistic expression with practical concerns like income or marketing, social media?
To me I never want to be in a position where I’m painting a product, if I’m painting because of some other motive (money, a trend etc) I know my work and eventually my artistic career will suffer. Social media has had a huge impact on the world and I use it a lot, its helpful, but equally I see other artists selling their own integrity just for views/likes. Its difficult to not get consumed by it. I think a lot of us suffer with the marketing side as we are not naturally sales people, but I believe marketing is another part of the game we have to balance to survive.
If you could give the younger you advice what would it be?
Keep going and believe in yourself more.
Have you got a project / award/ residency/ or idea are you excited to share with us?
Ive just been accepted into “The Royal Institute of Oil Painter’s’ Annual Exhibition 2026 - Mall Galleries, London - for the second year running, proud of that.
If your work could evoke one feeling or reaction in viewers, what would it be?
Intrigue - The subject doesn’t matter, what matter’s is everything the artist brings to it.
What is your website and how do we find you on social media?
www.martinwrightart.com
Instagram - @martinwrightart
