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On Campus
Q & A Five Questions With:
Jeff Martin '75, P'08
Few individuals can boast of more links to Susquehanna than Jeff Martin '75 P'08. He is married to alumna Maxine Kantz '75 Martin, and their son Jonathan is a member of the Class of 2008. A nationally-recognized artist, Martin also works part time in the Blough-Weis Library Multimedia Center, and teaches art and film courses at the university. Besides these connections, Martin has literally left his mark on the Susquehanna campus. Gracing the walls of several campus buildings are three of Martin's portraits, including one painting in the center for music and art of building namesake Joel Cunningham H'00, president emeritus of Susquehanna.
Martin shares here about his educational background, artistic specialty, and varied vocations.
 Click here for bonus Q & A.
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Question: You enrolled at Susquehanna to study English and become a teacher. What happened?
Jeff Martin: Well, after I had the chance to student teach I realized that my heart wasn't in it. I wanted to do something that was less structured and more creative. I tried my hand at fiction writing, but found I didn't have much of a knack for it. Painting seemed to be a better fit, and the more I painted the more I enjoyed it. I got some encouragement from friends and family and then decided I would try to turn it into a career.
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Q: You are an accomplished portrait artist. How have you developed that specialty?
JM: I first tried oil painting in my junior year at Susquehanna. I really enjoyed it and at first painted things that I found interesting – mostly surrealistic and fantasy subjects. After graduating and getting married, I quickly realized that if I was going to make a living on my artwork, I had better go down a path that might occasionally make some money. I seemed to have a knack for and an interest in painting faces, and so my wife and I moved to the New York area. I began the serious study of portrait and figure painting at the Art Students League of New York. The ability to consistently get a likeness has taken most of my adult life and I have learned that getting key parts of the face right – like the eyebrows and the corners of the mouth – will usually mean that I get the expression right. And if I can get the expression right, the client will usually be pleased with the final product.
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Q: How do portrait artists secure business?
JM: For most artists, the biggest challenge is being able to make a consistent living; when the economy is weak, many painters really struggle. Since most of my work comes from larger businesses or the government, I'm not really affected by economic highs and lows. One good portrait often leads to many more commissions. For example, it was thanks to Rick Dorman '75, who was a college administrator in Louisville, Ky., during the early '90s, that I got my first commissions in that region; to date, I've done at least 40 large portraits in the Louisville area. Other commissions come from New York and Boston portrait agencies I'm affiliated with.
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Q: How do you balance painting with your position in Blough-Weis Library's Multimedia Center?
JM: I began working in the Media Center back in the '80s. Business wasn't bad, but the sporadic nature of my art income caused a lot of stress. The job gave me a consistent paycheck and helped pay the ever-increasing health insurance premiums. But soon I discovered an even bigger benefit. You see, the life of an artist is a very solitary and sometimes lonely one. The job at the Media Center has given me daily human contact outside of my home and I found I really need that. And I have the opportunity to help students and faculty make movies and create PowerPoint presentations, so there is a creative aspect to it.
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Q: You also are a part-time lecturer at Susquehanna. What do you teach?
JM: I teach Drawing, Painting, and Foundations of Art in the Department of Art, but the classes I enjoy most are the two film courses I teach – Cult Films and The History of Horror Films. I've always enjoyed movies, especially unusual, offbeat ones, and these courses have given me the opportunity to do a lot of research on the background of these films and create lectures that incorporate film clips, PowerPoint slides, information, and anecdotes. And then after the hour-long lecture, we get to watch one of these unusual movies. These film classes are a lot of fun to teach.
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CREDENTIALS PALETTE
Education:
• B.A., English Education, Susquehanna University, 1975
• Continued studies, Arts Students League of New York,
1977-1978
• M.F.A., Penn State University, 1986
Distinctions and Memberships:
• Master Pastellist, elected by the Pastel Society of America
• Published articles on
portrait painting,
American Artist Magazine, 1998, and
Portrait Highlights Magazine, 1999
• Member, The Art Association of Harrisburg and
The Pastel Society of America
• Member and Past President,
The Susquehanna Art Society |
Bonus Questions:
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Q: What’s the process in painting a portrait? You don’t require your subjects to hold one pose for hours on end, do you?
JM: I specialize in painting corporate portraits, usually executives, judges and politicians. It’s rare that one of these people would have the time to sit for the two to three weeks it usually takes to complete a portrait. So I travel to the individual’s home or office and take a series of photographs, some digital and some 35mm. I print out the digital photos on the spot, we decide upon a face and a pose, and then I do a quick oil sketch to record the sitter’s eye, hair, and skin colors. I make color notes on any other props or items we may want to include in the background and then return to my studio in Pennsylvania, where I do a small preliminary study of my concept for the painting which I then mail to the client for their comments. Once the sketch is approved and we’re all in agreement, I begin the actual painting.
At any time I will have one painting on the easel and several others at various preliminary stages so that when one painting is finished I can begin on the next. Most of the time I’m trying to beat a deadline because the portraits are often needed for an unveiling ceremony or reception and losing a day or two of painting time can really complicate my life.
Q: Is the artistic process different when painting a commissioned project than when painting without a customer in the picture, so to speak?
JM: Sure, the thought process is very different. If I’m doing a commissioned painting I have to keep the client’s vision in mind and to incorporate as many of their ideas as I can without sacrificing my own. I strive to get a credible likeness, showing them at their best and playing down their imperfections. If I’m painting a non-commissioned face, maybe one that I want to enter into an art exhibit, I will try to exaggerate imperfections, subtly shading them towards caricature, to try to show more of their personality and character. These are the paintings that are really fun to do because I only have to please myself.
Q: What do you enjoy most about painting?
JM: The best part about painting, particularly portrait painting, is having the opportunity to travel and to meet many interesting people. While I’m painting the sitter’s color study, they have to pose for about an hour and we often chat about their hobbies or their jobs. On one occasion I was asked to paint the congressman who was in the process of investigating President Clinton concerning the “Filegate” scandal. He couldn’t tell me anything of a confidential nature, but he did give me some interesting insights into the office of the President. Very interesting. I also painted a gentleman who had been a part of Project Bluebook, the arm of the Air Force that investigated UFOs in the 1960s, and he shared with me some of the strange things he had seen over the years. I once painted a magician who performed sleight of hand tricks the entire time I was painting him. It was like painting a moving target, but he was really entertaining. And there are dozens of others who were a lot of fun to paint.
Q: What words of advice regarding the business of painting would you share to someone considering a career in art?
JM: The advice I would give to anyone considering a career in the creative arts, such as writing, acting, music, or art, is to be sure you love it so much that you can’t imagine doing anything else. Be sure you have a passion for it, because in the early days there are going to be a lot of disappointments and frustrations, and if you aren’t committed you’re going to give up. If you think you’d be happy doing anything else in the world, do it.
Also, never stop learning. With art, there is no graduation day. Be open to the information and ideas that come to you throughout your lifetime. Absorb them, process them, and continue to evolve.
Q: If you were able to select your next subject, who would you choose to paint?
JM: I guess
the only person I can think of is Ian Anderson, because
after all these years, I am still a fan of Jethro Tull.
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