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Martyn Evans was born and brought up in Aberdare, in the coal-mining valleys of Wales and graduated from the University of Wales at Cardiff. Shortly afterwards, he and his wife Joy, a New Zealander, moved to her homeland, where he lived and taught for many years, enjoying a culture, climate and lifestyle different in many ways from that of his upbringing, but with enough similarities that he never felt completely estranged from Wales.
After almost 30 years Martyn and Joy returned to Aberdare to care for his |
increasingly infirm parents, thus revisiting his youth and the town in which he had grown up. Tragically, Joy also became largely housebound due to a premature illness, and Martyn, free only in his imagination, developed a passion for drawing and painting. His art was inspired by his changed vision of the architecture, geography and history of his birthplace.
He no longer saw the Valleys as many had, as collections of drab buildings and cold, misty and rainy landscapes.
His depictions are Lowryesque, but much more than that. They are heavily influenced by the clear, golden light of New Zealand and by its colorful Maori art and culture. They have a directness, an optimism and universal appeal, presenting the Welsh mining valleys as sun-soaked colorful places of his imagination, yet with
a profound honesty and a strong Maori influence. For those of a Welsh background, Martyn's paintings provide a cheerful, factual link with their heritage, an interpretation of Wales that will satisfy nostalgia and a sense of historical belonging whilst simultaneously being high quality pieces of art that will brighten up any wall. Those who have no links with Wales will immediately appreciate the sheer artistic impact of Martyn's multi-layered work,
with each piece clearly indicative of a unique culture that has influenced the artist at a fundamental level, but are also indicative of influences at another level by later experiences in a different culture - the old not being supplanted by the new, but enriched and enhanced by his exposure to Maori art.
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