About

Lynda Martin was raised on the family farm just outside of Commerce, Texas. Her love and respect for nature are at the core of her artwork. She holds a BS degree in engineering technology from Texas A&M University – Commerce, and a BFA in photography from the University of North Texas.

She has participated in numerous regional and national shows, including the Goddard Center’s 2012 Fine Art Photography Biennial where she received first place and merit awards in the Nature/Environment division. She also participated in the LA Mobile Arts Festival (LAMAF) 2012 in Los Angeles, California, an international invitational show featuring mobile art and photography.

Her mobile art and photography have been featured on popular mobile photography websites, The App Whisperer, P1xels, iPhoneogenic, and WeAreJuxt (now Grryo).

Lynda lives in rural Cooke County, Texas. You can find her in small town alleys and on lonesome roads all over north central Texas and southern Oklahoma with an iPhone in hand taking photos for new artwork.

Artist Statement

My work is deeply personal and often self-reflective. I particularly identify with structures, especially old rundown buildings. Each detail of a building is a private internal dialogue with its own iconography. I am often drawn to explore the same types of things like broken or covered windows, or views through a small opening. All of these details have a meaning for me and the nuance of each similar image adds something to the conversation. It is my way of trying to understand myself, knowing my own mind.

Landscapes also figure prominently in my work. For me, they symbolize a longing for connection to spirit. I like to photograph desolate empty landscapes and wide open spaces because I feel the most solitude in these places. When I am alone and quiet I can more easily feel connected to something greater than myself. As I edit these landscapes, I frequently return to that meditative place of connection. They are my remembering, possibly a kind of prayer.

I find these two themes work together since some of the old buildings I photograph are well on their way back to nature. Many of them are completely broken down and covered in vines with trees encroaching. Sometimes birds or animals have moved into the building. I find it strangely comforting and humbling to remember that nothing lasts forever. We are all on the path to becoming a memory and eventually not even remembered. This may be a depressing thought for some, but I find it a great motivation to enjoy life.

I am also interested in revisiting memories from my childhood, especially magical thinking. This reconnecting with the younger self is a revelatory and comforting look back. These images are heavily layered and unlike the other work contain symbols and figures.