Martin King – Astray

Martin King
Astray, 2026

Single plate etching with spit bite and drypoint, with chine collé
Edition of 10 + A/P
Image Size 35.5×29cm / Paper Size 46×38cm

Artist Statement
This work is an ironic twist on the idea of stamps being signifiers of state or national identity using wildlife, significant events or memorialising achievement. My relationship to Baldessin Studio goes back many years. I have utilised the workshop, as well as resided for short periods in the apartment. The music group, Press Gang, which I play with has performed at many Baldessin Studio Printmakers Picnics. 

Martin King’s (b.1957)  wide-ranging art practice is underpinned by an abiding interest in the Australian landscape, most visibly by making connections between land, sea and air. King’s earlier works on paper traced the movement of rain shadows and the effect of weather patterns across undulating terrain and vast tracts of desert. His more recent works express the fragility of our relationship with nature using creatures of the sky as simple motifs that convey a paradoxical vision of the Australian landscape as both tranquil and unsettling.

Martin King’s works are held in numerous corporate collections, 17 regional gallery, university collections and four state galleries in Australia plus collections in the USA, UK and India. Martin King occupies an important place in printmaking in Australia and is acknowledged widely as one of the leading printmakers in the country. He is also the senior printmaker at Australian Print Workshop, a position he has held since 1994.

Martin King is represented by Australian Galleries, Melbourne and Sydney.

@artmartz
www.martinking.com.au