Martin was commissioned into the Army in 1999 rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel but has been suffering acute PTSD since leaving the Forces. He cannot reconcile the outcomes of the decisions he had to make as an on the ground lawyer for eight violent months in Afghanistan which eventually became too much to bear and he has been receiving psychiatric treatment for the last 6 years. During a stay in a German Psychiatric Hospital he was encouraged to paint as part of a holistic approach to his therapy. He found a way to express creatively things he could not express in words.

Free from any classical training he paints unhindered by convention and accordingly explores colour and composition on his own terms. Life's experiences brought him to the easel and as such these experiences provide him with much of the material seen in his portfolio. His abstract works explore emotions, adversity and a survivor's instinct to recover against all the odds.The emphasis of his art is not one of gloom brought about by trauma and the hidden wounds of war but one of optimism, compassion and faith in common humanity.

Fitzroy modern art supports and promotes martins work and a percentage of commission from sales will go to the Charity Supporting Wounded Veterans that we support. More oils and prints of all Martin’s work are available at the gallery.