Martine Emdur

Martine Emdur has enjoyed meteoric success in the decade since her first solo exhibition in 1997.  Already she has twelve solo exhibitions to her name, was a 2006 finalist for the Portia Geach Prize, an Archibald Prize finalist in 2000 with the ABC’s Peter Berner and again in 2002 with actress Claudia Karvan. 

Martine has always been fascinated by the sea and her oeuvre is testament to years of intense observation and understanding. 

Over the years, Emdur’s works have become more about the water itself, the refracted light, the movement and her grand-scaled compositions evoke a wondrous sense of freedom. The viewer cannot escape the invitation to experience the sensuous, gentle flow of the water, seen both from below- and above-water perspectives.

"It's just water. No peripherals. I've spent a really long time trying to learn about how it all flows and how to paint it. The patterns. The flow, the light going through it. The circles of light in the water. It's hard to describe.”

Her sensitive use of oil paint with close colour harmonies and few tonal contrasts contribute to the lyricism of her large-scale works that appear to immerse the viewer in a visual aquarium.