Martin Davis: contemporary and original art, exhibitions & commission work

Martin Davis is an ex-firefighter turned artist. After university he spent more than 30 years in the fire & rescue service, during which time he found painting was a perfect antidote to the operational stresses of his working life. He committed himself fully to his art in 2008 after retirement and has spent the last 13 years finding his distinctive artistic voice. Martin is by admission an instinctive artist. Almost wholly self-trained, his only formal qualification is an Art GCE “O” level from his schooldays. Even so his artwork is bought by private collectors around the world and he has secured gallery space throughout the UK as well as here in his native Derbyshire where he works from his home studio in Swanwick. His most recent successes were being selected to exhibit in the prestigious Harley Gallery Open and ING Discerning Eye exhibitions 2020.

 Mainly an artist in oils Martin’s output can be diverse & wide-ranging. He draws inspiration from any combination of light and form that strikes a chord from his background. Apart from his current focus on still life and portraiture his output has included landscapes & urban scenes to more figurative/abstract work. But whatever the subject matter his painterly style is characterized by a trademark vibrancy of colour and attention to fine detail, sometimes accompanied by a slightly surreal twist.