Artwork copyright Joules Martin. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Joules Martin. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Spiral Raptor #1, 2015

Joules Martin
(American, born 1966)

Location: Peninsula College, Port Angeles

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Spiral Raptor #1 is part of a series of paintings by artist Joules Martin. The series features the wide arch of raptor birds in flight. She creates these expressive artworks using an unexpected process. She applied wide, gestural stokes of acrylic paint using a meat fork. She notes, "Painting carnivores using a meat fork seemed fun and appropriate."

Curator Kathleen Garrett selected this artwork as part of a collection of artworks for Peninsula College in Port Angeles. The artworks installed in the Allied Health Building emphasize bright colors and unusual materials. This building is used for Nursing and Early Childhood Education programs.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Peninsula College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Joules Martin's paintings show the natural scenery and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. She applies thick layers of paint on canvas using non-traditional objects, such as chopsticks, hair picks, meat forks, and more. She notes, "The direction of the wind, the flow of the water, the rhythm of light pattern through the tree limbs are some of the elements I think of as I paint the landscape... I build a bridge between what a place looks like and how it feels to be there."

Martin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communications at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Northwestern Washington.