"I cannot be there physically but through my words and art I hope to bring my presence in spirit. Id like to start this by first expressing my love for art. I believe art is priceless and very rich, unique and significant. It has meaning and an overwhelming depth as well as a profound message. The time invested, the thoughts that go through your mind when drawing, what it means to the artist, the message I want people to grasp upon viewing such pieces. I see art like poetry. It is one's expression, a feeling slapped on a piece of canvas or paper.
Sometimes art has to be seen and looked at with that special eye in us. It can be the ugliest piece you have seen but really once you see what the artist sees then you too can enjoy and appreciate such a creation, just like a cook can place an ugly dish in front of you yet, once you taste what has been prepared, your mind can instantly be stimulated to such great taste.
I started drawing at the age of eleven. I used to go to a place called 'homeland' and originally I used to like to paint with spray cans on walls and through my friends who did murals on the walls I started to hang out at this art place that was for the community. My teacher who I looked up to "CHUCO", a much older man used to inspired me to draw and pursue this as a skill. Later at an art exhibition he placed a painting I did on the wall and ever since that day I have been drawing. I now love art. It is very therapeutic. It relaxes me and takes me to another place.
I don't want to leave out my very special friend Dixie, who was in charge of an art place. She gave me a lot of hope and inspiration and was the first person to purchase my first piece of art ever placed on display in fact ever since then I have been drawing, mostly with pens and pencils. Just recently I started to use water color paints and acrylic. My art varies from scenery to animals to cartoons or portraits. I usually like to bounce around including cultural art and so on. I love art period ,and this also includes art in the form of writing.
For the most part when I'm drawing something I have some type of theme, or something in mind. I usually like to put an expression or poem with a piece of art. I can sometimes draw fast and get things done depending on the size and what Im using for example I find painting to be much faster than doing something in pen and ink, because the pen works in a much more tedious way although at the same time it is much more detailed.
An overall view to my work is a poetic form of putting this into perspective. Because I cannot be there at any exhibits I now have been placing short writings on the back of my work so as to give a person an image and of course you can also reach me at my address to ask questions about any particular piece of art. I do enjoy engaging with people who also love art as much as I do.
The fact that I am incarcerated does not place any boundaries on my artwork and I still continue to pursue an even more extreme excellence in what I do. My only limitations are the things I cannot get my hands on due to prison policies however with the little that I may be able to afford or possess I will create a beauty that catches your eye and that you can enjoy.
You can always reach me at : Santiago Martinez Jr. CDC# AB-4062 San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA 94974