Jason Martin is a British artist whose thickly textured paintings achieve uniquely sculptural surfaces. Known for his rich, monochromatic works, Martin layers oil paint or acrylic gel atop a metal or Plexiglas substrate, and then drags a comb-like tool through the substance to create voluminous striations. The process-based formalism of his practice shows the influence of artists such as David Budd and Robert Ryman. “The most interesting abstraction has a source of figuration,” he reflected. “My approach is that there is a warmth of figuration that I try to affect into the movements—gestures—that I make [on the canvas].” Born in 1970 in Jersey, United Kingdom, Martin studied at the Chelsea College of Art and Goldsmiths College in the early ...