Abbotsford artist Julia Martens, who The News profiled back in March, is set to have a busy summer and recently announced the release of a series of paintings called Introductions.
Martens unveiled the set on her website on July 17 and the talented artist stated this is all part of a larger story connecting all the pieces with more to come.
“Art has always been, to me, more than simply the paint placed on a canvas. Personally, my art should tell a story and, perhaps, make one think a little beyond what is in front of them,” she told The News in an email. “I have always considered myself a storyteller, and often wrote my stories down, but it only recently occurred to me to combine my storytelling with my art. In other stories, I love when I am able to piece things together, solve a mystery, get excited to see what’s next; and so that is what I am doing here.
This is the story of Bede O. Fairclough, the Crusader’s Consortium, and the adventure’s they embark on. All my paintings in this series are connected, and all my work that I am creating since the completion of these pieces continue the story,” she added.
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Martens has also made regular appearances at the Downtown Chilliwack Market this summer.
The 2019 MEI grad is next scheduled to begin work on a mural in downtown Abbotsford in August. She is on a team with fellow artists Sara Khan, Alex Svarez, Pearl Bains, and Cassidy Luteijn through The Reach. The location is one of the walls behind Hemingway’s Books and Records.
Martens has a form of synesthesia, a sensory and neurological phenomenon in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses simulates several of your senses. Since a young age, Martens has seen all letters, words and numbers as colours. She previously told The News that her synesthesia drew her into loving and creating art.
For more on the series, visit juliamartens.ca/shop-introductions.
