Adrian Martinez was born in Philadelphia, PA, but grew up in Washington, D.C. He studied painting and printmaking and received degrees from the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Maryland (BFA), St. Martins School of Art in London, England (CS) and Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana (MA).
Over the past twenty-five years, Adrian has exhibited his work in many local and national shows. His most recent one man show was at the Sunset Hill Art Gallery in West Chester, PA. He has also shown in New York, Texas, Delaware, and California. A major retrospective of his work at the Chester County Art Association in 2002 was attended by First Lady Laura Bush.
Adrian's work is in private collections all over the United States and Europe. Some of his public works include an eight by sixteen foot mural installed at Marshall High School in Marshall, Texas and a ten by twenty foot mural which depicts the history of the Waggoner Ranch in the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas. He was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to commemorate St. John Neumann and St. Katharine Drexel with an etching in early 2000. He designed the White House Holiday Card for President and Mrs. Bush in 2001 and, in 2007 he completed two large landscape paintings commemorating the National Parks theme for the White House holiday season. President and Mrs. Bush also commissioned him to paint an eight by eighteen foot mural which was installed in the White House in early 2003, and he completed a series of drawings for Camp David in 2005.
Adrian is currently working on a book, The Golden Age of Oil Painting, which will illustrate the techniques of Old Masters such as Van Eyck, Titian, Velasquez and Carravagio. He has given a number of lectures and demonstrations and taught art at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, Purdue University in Indiana, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum in Texas.
Adrian currently lives with his wife, Leah, their son, Sebastian and three cats in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
Website: WWW.ADRIANMARTINEZ.COM
Adrian is a second year Art of Caring artist!