Martin Slater

My work has centered on the human figure, mainly with charcoal and three-color chalk. I try to stay faithful to the form and to reveal structure under the surface. Recent work has been more narrative and includes attempts to capture mood and emotion. In addition to figurative work, I have done commissioned drawings of horses, horse and rider, and portraits.

Inspired by the work of various figurative artists, especially Pierre-Paul Prudhon, I have come to realize the natural interest we have in the figure. Initially, I believe, the artist needs only make us stop and look.

I attempt to capture attention by draftsmanship and a warm sensual style. Figures are displayed in a variety of standing, seated and reclining poses, and a wide range of moods; anticipation of the future or reference to the past, awake, dreaming, isolation, worry or peaceful. Each of the drawings has a story to tell. In some cases, narrative is hinted at by composition, while in others the stories are left to the imagination and experiences of the viewer.

Martin L. Slater lives in Rockville, MD where he has his studio. His educational degrees and career were in microbiology. He retired from the National Institutes of Health in September of 2001, and is devoting full time to art. He studied art at Montgomery College, the University of Maryland and the Art League School at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. He is a member of the Art League of Germantown, Rockville Art League, Senior Artists Alliance, Maryland Federation of Art, Maryland Society of Portrait Painters and the Foundry Gallery.

His work was reviewed in an article titled “Artists consider human form’s simple beauty” written by Claudia Rousseau for the Montgomery County Gazette on July17, 2007.

Exhibits include:

• A Quiet Place (Yoga Studio Montgomery), Rockville, MD, 2004-present
• 20th Annual Strathmore Members Juried Exhibition, N. Bethesda, MD, Feb.-April 2011
• Gallery West 14th Annual National Juried Show, Alexandria, VA, Feb.-March 2011
• Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD, Nov. 2010-Jan. 2011
• Rockville Art League, Rockville, MD, Jan. 2011, May 2009, Jan. 2009 & Jan. 2008
• Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, Frederick, MD (Two-person show with Michael Goulding), September 2010
• Laurel Art Guild, Laurel, MD, May 2010
• Art League of Germantown, Germantown, MD, April 2010, April 2009, Jan. 2008, April 2007, Jan. 2007 & Nov. 2006
• Columbia Art Center, Columbia, MD, Feb. 2010
• Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, Nov.-Dec. 2010, Feb. 2007 & Feb. 2006
• Jewish Community Center Senior Adult Exhibit, Rockville, MD, May 2010 & May 2009
• Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center Regional Juried Exhibits, Frederick, MD, July 2009 & July 2008
• BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD (Two-person show with Michael Goulding), April 2009
• Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD, Jan. 7 - March 30, 2009
• Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, Frederick, MD (Two-person show with Michael Goulding), Sept. 2010
• Bethesda Artists Market, Bethesda MD, July 2008
• Solo Show, Waverly Street Gallery, Bethesda, MD, July 2007
• Artist Gallery of Columbia, Columbia, MD, Jan. 29 - March 2, 2007
• Patuxent Art League 16th Annual Open Juried Show, Laurel MD, Dec. 2006
• Light Street Gallery, Baltimore MD, March - Aug. 2006
• Maryland Federation of Art, National "Go Figure" exhibit, Baltimore, MD, March 2006
• Art League at Torpedo Factory Bin Gallery, Alexandria, VA, July 2005 - June 2006
• Art League at Torpedo Factory, Juried Members Shows, June 2005, March 2005, Jan. 2005, Dec. 2004, Sept. 2004
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Canal Square in Georgetown, Washington, DC, July 2004
• National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, April 2001
• River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda, MD, April 1997
• Montgomery County Art Association, Glenview Mansion, Rockville, MD, June 1990

Awards

• 2nd Place, 20th Annual Strathmore Members Juried Exhibition, Feb. - April 2011
• 1st Place (drawing), Rockville Art League, Rockville, MD, May 2009
• 1st Prize, Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, Regional Juried Exhibit, June 7-27, 2008
• 2nd Place, Rockville Art League, Rockville, MD, Jan. 2008
• 4th Place, Winter Membership Show, Maryland Federation of Art, Feb. 2007
• Juror’s Choice, Artist Gallery in Columbia, Columbia, MD, Jan. 2 - Mar. 2, 2007
• First and Second Place, Winterglow 2006 exhibit, Art League of Germantown, 2006
• Equal Award, Art League at Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA Dec. 2004 & July 2003
• Honorable Mention, Montgomery County Art Association, Rockville, MD, June 1990