BILL MARTIN - Mendocino Art Center

Another Cup....A Dream Of Home
the Mendocino Coast captured
his attention. One of his first
shows was at the Mendocino Art
Center, where he hung examples
of his painterly hand-manipulated
Polaroids. Ever an activist, one of
his proudest achievements came
in his third Santa Cruz gallery,
Abattoir, where he mounted illegal
“Tattoo Me” shows that ultimately
brought down the county’s blue
laws against tattooing.
Still inventing, Jeff’s striking
Polaroids “are etched using the
ignition key from a 1965 Mustang.”
First shown at the MAC in 1980,
these works continue to provide
Jeff’s impressionistic canvas. His
wonderment at the contradictions
and surreal tensions within
our culture can be seen in his
“Expectation/Reality” series, begun
in 1973 as 35mm Tri-X black
and white images. A third series,
“Industrial Strength,” continues
the photojournalistic exploration
of chaos in the world, giving Jeff a
“political soapbox” for his strong
anti-war emotions.
Just Before The Frost....The Harvest
Smooth Ride
Jeff still shows in Chicago and elsewhere,
but his Think Visual gallery
at 215 Main Street in Point Arena
is his home base. “I want to affect
the community I live in. I’m not
looking to be famous. I’m happy
in my life, what I do, and who
I am.” His tools evolve with the
technology – he’s working with a
digital camera now. “I get it right
in the camera. I shoot digital just
like I shot 35mm. I haven’t been
in the darkroom for a couple of
years,” Jeff says.
Asked what makes a
picture, Jeff is quick to
reply, “Quality of light.
Composition. Emotion: puzzlement,
wonder. Steiglitz influences
my language about art, and it’s his
idea of ‘equivalents’ that moves
my finger on the shutter button. A
viewer looking at my work should
experience emotion equivalent to
mine when I took the photo.”
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