Page 9 - קטלוג התערוכה "זאת ועוד" של יודי מרטון במרכז חדרים בחיפה

About the exhibition "This and More"

I would like to begin with a question: Am I ,as an artist, obliged to convey some message to the viewers of my art, or am I just to share and
reveal my personal experiences through a voyage from the subconscious to the conscious?
My art is surreal in its approach, and grotesquely conveys an invented world of ridiculous characters in hallucinatory ambiences.

More than once my Shlomit, has pleaded with me to paint something "normal", conventional for a change. I tried, believe me, really! But I am
unable to do that. The technical ability is there and I draw at her request "normal things", but then I find that "this is not it". Something
important is missing in these pictures. Emotions are absent and my soul is not in them. And in fact the body of my work, from the beginning,
when I still was a teenager was mostly surrealistic and so for five decades of creation my ability was channeled and built in a certain and specific
direction.
I do not know in advance what I am going to create, although my approach is based on engineering methods: I plan what I want to draw,
visualize the subject position, take the drawing tool and let my hand instinctively sprint into action - then the right hemisphere of my brain kicks
in, and the result is basically my surrendering to a lack of control. Letting the emotions run free.

I do not convey a message, I do not express any political opinion, I do not think high thoughts, I only create out of the necessity to breathe Art.
Thus most of my works have no name, and yet, their name and subject are created in the eyes of the observer.

I was told that one can examine my works for a long time, that my paintings are not boring, that it is difficult to understand what is happening -
so here is a little advice: as I said - there is no need to understand. One should just observe and try to experience the piece.
During the period of time as a member of the Israeli Illustrators' Association, I participated in exhibitions, curated and launched them, I have
chaired the association for the last four years - but although I have often been asked to illustrate books. I have never illustrated a book for
anyone. Ask why? Because I'm not the author, and he probably does not want me to adapt to him or change my attitude towards him.

Since having retired from my job at Intel in 2007, I have been devoting my entire life to creating Art. Fourteen years of full-time painting and
illustration and still going.
I definitely see an improvement of my ability to convey my artistic message. Constant daily practice leads to more sophisticated and accurate
results when expressing emotions and designing the painting space.

I refuse to grow up. I always try to think unconventionally, tell myself not to become blocked, and always try another route, try another idea .

The many creative techniques and methods which I use enrich my work: pen drawing, computer art, copper and linoleum prints, acrylic painting,

sculpture, ceramics, three-dimensional computer creation, and poetry and prose writing.

But I always, always go back to my initial artistic endeavors - drawing . To the black ballpoint pen, to the comfortable armchair in the living

room with the classical music in the background - because the drawing is the real source of my art, it is a the origin and the beginning. For me, it

is my artistic soul reflection. 9