martinvictor

I am an American artist living in the state of Punjab in India. I am originally from San Jose, California in the United States. Since 2002, I have been actively pursuing and developing my art. Prior to coming to India, I was employed as a rehabilitation counselor working specifically with chronically mentally ill adults and have worked in this field in varying capacities for 20 years. My responsibilities were to assist and teach skills for individuals to reintegrate back into their communities in order to live independent and productive lives. The skills taught included social skills, anger management, management of symptoms of mental illness, stress management and recreational skills. The highlight of my previous employment was the facilitation of a weekly fine arts group which was designed to provide outlets for self expression and self exploration as well as to provide opportunities for socialization and to develop an appreciation for art.

I have always been creative and during the 80’s and 90’s I wrote poetry as well as took up various craft projects as hobbies including working with ceramics. It was not until the year 2002 that I discovered the pleasure of drawing and that I have some ability. Since then, I have been actively seeking to increase my knowledge and skills in developing my art.

It was through conducting arts and crafts groups that has also taught me the healing power of creativity. It was through watching and observing as well as through my own experience that through creative acts, one can find the expression of deep feelings, feelings of self worth, pride, and more importantly feeling the wonder of what one can accomplish. Due to these experiences, it is my strong belief that any act of creation is an act of healing.

On a very personal level, I view my art to be deeply spiritual. Goddesses and gods, mythological creatures and mythology are constant themes within my work. While not specifically religious, I believe that by expressing ourselves creatively this puts each of us in touch with the divine.

For many people, life is hectic and downright chaotic. This is especially true for those of us who live in a fast pace “modern” society. We must be here and there, virtually several places at once as well as having to wear different masks in relation to the myriad roles we must play in life. This certainly rings true for myself and art has been my means of coping.

How do I cope with chaos through art? I start with chaos; by scribbling, splashing ink or experimenting with other means. I next seek shape and form and then add color and dimension, ordering the chaos into something representational even if the end result turns out to be surreal and dreamlike.

Mostly self taught, I have taken fine art classes at both Mission College and West Valley College, both campuses residing in the Silicon Valley of California.

Current Residence: India
Favourite genre of music: I have eclectic tastes
Favourite style of art: Pre-Raphaelite, Fantasy, Comic, Classical Realism
Operating System: Windows XP
MP3 player of choice: I like my Sony Walkman
Favourite cartoon character: Yosemite Sam
Personal Quote: Every creative act is an act of healing.