LA artist Patrick Martinez depicts urban life with unflinching stories that happen in the real world where he lives. We like to say, “Mine the diamonds in your own back yard”, and that is exactly what Patrick does by incorporating into his art without apologies what he sees where he goes.  Using symbols of authority, militarism, commercialism and their brutal or humorous intersection, men play roles of protagonist and antagonist on a stage where murky gray municipal Greek architecture surrounds strip malls, plantations, and supermarket parking lots.

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

With flexibility of medium, he constructs the world with symbols and materials and snatches of conversations on the street. Chaotic pileups of people at cross purposes are mingled with free floating graffiti tags in the air. Cool bright neon glows and recalls liquor stores, pawn shops, and bullet proof glass – words are pulled out of context and combined with slogans. Insistently shiny helium filled happiness, near bursting with optimism, becomes a metaphor for aspiration –  heart shaped balloons pulling at their strings to fly upward; and of dreams brutally dashed as they are stomped underfoot or caught in the crossfire. Brutality and storewide sales, when paired, can evoke a certain sunny sarcastic fascism in a showman’s hands, but Martinez prefers commentating on the life in the streets without that romanticism or coy finish.

Here are some in studio images from a visit to Patrick by photographer and BSA contributor Todd Mazer.

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

Patrick Martinez (photo © Todd Mazer)

For more on Patrick Martinez art click below:

http://www.patrickmartinez.com/

For more on Todd Mazer Photography click below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/legenddairy/

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