"Mixed Media Magic: Artistic Alchemy" Opening Art Reception for Joe Martino

Join us for the opening reception for "Mixed Media Magic: Artistic Alchemy" by Joe Martino.

Martino is a professional mixed media artist who has been participating in various juried art shows and art festivals around the country. He is also a former Stark County science teacher who instructed Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy, and Marine Biology.

He says, "My central theme considers science and patterns in nature as backdrops upon which my paintings are created. Physical processes such as melting, solution, crystallization, fluidity, outer space nebulae, microscopic images, and various organic patterns are all used as inspirations for my paintings..... With the colors I choose and the textures I create, my paintings often reflect not what I see but what I think, how I feel, and what music is playing in my studio or in my head. My art is an abstract reflection of what is within me, what is around me, and the art of how my mind deals with the external influences of both the real and the imagined.

I am a painter, a scientist, a romantic, an expressionist, but most of all, I am an artist. I live in the hope that what I paint conveys inspiration, harmony and balance. I also hope that when viewing my paintings, one can experience the emotion and music of the creative process, validate my view, and have an enjoyable visual experience."

Martino's solo art exhibition will be on display through March 14, 2025, in the Upstairs Gallery of the Strauss Studios building. Opening reception will feature

- a brief talk by the artist at 4:30

- live musical entertainment by jazz guitarist Dave Marchione

- light refreshments.

- raffle to win an original Martino art piece, benefitting the artist's charity of choice

The event is free and open to the public