The Wren's Nest: Short description of a long history.
A rare survivor in the world of Fine Art Publishing/Distributing, the Wren's Nest has represented artist Larry K. Martin for four decades. Wildlife Art collecting in this country rose exponentially with the advent of limited edition art printing and the Wren's Nest was one of the earliest single-artist galleries to offer print editions to a nation-wide audience of eager collectors.
During the past 15-20 years, with the advancement of digital technology and the advent of "Giclee' editions there has been a revolution in the Art Collector's market. Highest quality computer-controlled reproductions, printed directly onto canvas, are more permanent and more detailed than the conventional offset prints. Again, the Wren's Nest was one of the first publishers to offer in-house Giclee printing for Larry K. Martin editions. Giclees offer the "nearest thing to an original painting" in reproduction, at a fraction of the cost of the original artwork- making it feasible for serious collectors to enjoy their own home gallery.
C.D. Hancock, President of WNI,
with Larry K. Martin , artist.
Years of travel, and completing the full circle.
After years of periodic travel to South America and Africa, as a researcher in Tropical Medicine and then as an artist, there remains a compulsion to seek out existing tribal subjects as well as exciting wildlife.
The "full circle" now includes a remarkable location, the Oxford Performing Arts Center, an elegant historic site in downtown Oxford, Alabama. Refurbished and re-created for the Performing arts, the classic structure on Choccolocco Street, promises to host the best entertainers in our nation's performing arts. Wren's Nest at OPAC, will, we hope, add Visual Arts to the OPAC community.
Variety: Hallmark of the artwork of Larry K. Martin, and the Wren's Nest Collection.
Larry's interest in our regional and national wildlife has been life-long. As he developed his own techniques for detailed, realistic painting, the subjects ranged from our familiar animal life, to the exotic subjects of the tropics. However, the unexpected can always be expected. One of Martin's latest paintings is a panoramic view of a Polar Bear. "I felt the need for something different, and the Polas Bear is one of the most beautiful, intriguing, and resilient animals on the planet." Even while on photo-safari in Tanzania in May, he was mid-way through a White-Tailed Deer painting in a rural southern setting.
In addition to his familiar and exotic wildlife subjects, the artist is fascinated by certain categories of human subjects. People of the Maasai and other tribes of east Africa find their way to his canvases.
The series "American Characters" began with a hobo subject many years ago, and is best epitomized by the best known folk figure of the 20th century..."America's Goat Man". The series focuses on elderly. Strongly individualistic subjects- even to the point of being purely eccentric- as the "Goat Man" has continued to be.our most popular print.
