Juan Martinez will present an exciting informal presentation about his practice, life, art and more. Not to be missed.

A little bit more about Juan in his own words:

I was born in the small town of Prelate, Saskatchewan to parents from diverse backgrounds. My father was from Spain and he fought in the Spanish Civil War against the fascist forces led by General Franco. He eventually emigrated to Canada where his older sister had resided for several years. My mother was a 1st generation Ukrainian-Canadian whose parents homesteaded near Prelate in the early part of the 20th century.

My family moved to Regina when I was about 5 years old and that is where I grew up and went to school. I attended Holy Rosary Elementary School and Campion High School, going on to study at the University of Regina where I obtained a B.A. (Hons.) in Biology and Geography. After that, I went to Saskatoon to study law at the University of Saskatchewan where I received an LL.B.. A few years later, I continued my legal studies at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL, where I was awarded a Master of Laws degree in Intellectual Property Law.

After practicing as a lawyer for a number of years in Saskatchewan, I moved to Toronto where I expected to continue my legal career. However, that is where, and when, I started to pursue more seriously what was my true vocation; classical painting and drawing. (Since childhood I had been an avid artist and always kept at it as, at least, a hobby.) In 1996, I began an intensive five-year course of study, both in Toronto and in Florence, Italy, under the tutelage of renowned portraitist, Michael John Angel. The training I received was in what is known as the classical realist tradition and I have been working in that arena ever since.

For more well over a decade — until moving back to Saskatchewan in late 2016 — I was a senior instructor at Toronto’s well-known Academy of Realist Art (ARA). Now “back home” I continue to travel, teaching workshops at ARA in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada as well as in the United States.

I gained worldwide recognition in 2006 by authoring a series of instructional articles entitled, “The Academy Way” for International Artist Magazine. In addition, my portraiture and other aspects of my work, including teaching, have been the subject of articles and features in a variety of print and online media.

Notable Commissions, Awards and Recognition, Publications, and Selected Exhibitions:

1. Notable Commissions

Speaker of the House of Commons, Government of Canada, Hon. A. Scheer, 2018

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Hon. D. Levac, 2018

Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario, Hon. D.C. Onley, 2014

President, Humber College Inst. of Technology and Advanced Learning, Dr. R. Gordon, 2007

President, Humber College Inst. of Technology and Advanced Learning, J. Davies, 2013

President, Humber College Inst. of Technology and Advanced Learning, G. Wragg, 2009

President of Crane School of Music, SUNY, Potsdam, NY, Dr. H. Hosmer (posthumous), 2007

Alex Trebek, for Bravo! TV network, “Star Portraits”, 2009

2. Awards & Achievements

• 2018 Finalist Art Renewal Center (ARC) Worldwide Salon Competition, Figure or Portrait 
 categories

• 2017 Finalist and Placement, Portrait Society of America, Members Only Competition, "Self 
 Portrait" category

• 2016 Finalist Portrait Society of America, Members Only Competition, "Outside The Box" 
 category

• 2016 Finalist Art Renewal Center (ARC) Worldwide Salon Competition, Figure and Portrait 
 categories

• 2015 Finalist NEXT! Juried Exhibition, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto, ON

• 2013 2nd Place Award, Art Renewal Center (ARC) Worldwide Salon Competition, Drawing 
 category

2013 2010, 2009, 2007 ARC Salon Finalist Art Renewal Center Worldwide Salon Competition, Figure and Drawing Categories

• 2011 Finalist and Award of Exceptional Merit Portrait Society of America, Art of the Portrait 
 Conference, Atlanta, GA

• 2010 Buckhorn Art FestivalPart of “Canadian Masters” exhibition, Buckhorn Art Festival, 
 Buckhorn, ON

• 2009 Featured in Season 1 of “Star Portraits” on Bravo! TV.

• 2009 2nd Place Award, Richeson 75 International: Portrait & Figure, Richeson School of Art 
 and Gallery, Kimberly, WI, USA

2008 Presenter and Panelist Portrait Society of Canada International Portrait Arts Festival,
Toronto, ON

• 2006 Presenter and Judge Portrait Society of Canada International Portrait Arts Festival, 
 Toronto, ON

• 2006 Certificate of Excellence Portrait Society of America, Art of the Portrait Conference, 
 Dallas TX

• 2004 Best Portfolio Portrait Society of America, Art of the Portrait Conference, Boston MA

• 2004 Merit Certificate Portrait Society of America, Art of the Portrait Conference, Boston MA

• 2004 Invited to ARC “Living Masters” gallery Art Renewal Center (ARC)

• 2004 ARC Salon Honourable Mention Art Renewal Center (ARC) Worldwide Salon
 Competition; Still Life, www.artrenewal.org

2003 Best in Show and Grand Prize Portrait Society of Canada, International Portrait Arts
Competition, Toronto, ON

3. Publications (Featured and work appearing in):

• 2016 Featured Artist in 21st Century Figurative Art: The Resurrection of Art by Jan Esmann, 
 Blue Pearl Publications, Copenhagen)

• 2014 Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, April issue; “Today’s Masters”.

• 2013 Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Nov./Dec. issue, “ARC Salon winners”

• 2011 American Artist Magazine — Feature article

• 2011 Lawyer’s Weekly — “Portrait of the Artist as an ex-Lawyer”

• 2010 Poets and Artists Magazine— On cover and feature article, October issue.

• 2010 Brushstroke Magazine — On cover of Jun./July issue

• 2007 Brushstroke Magazine — Subject of main feature article in inaugural issue.

• 2007 American Artist Magazine: Drawing

2005–2006 International Artist Magazine — Author, 6-part instructional series: “Academy Way”

4. Selected Exhibitions

• 2017 LEGACY Curated Exhibition, Gallery 1261, Denver, CO

• 2015 NEXT! Juried Exhibition, Arts & Letters Club, Toronto, ON

• 2013 Figurative Art International Juried Exhibition, Figurativas en Red, Barcelona, Spain

• 2010 Buckhorn Art Festival, “Canadian Masters” invitational exhibition, Buckhorn, ON

• 2009 Praxis: Beauty & Truth, Group exhibition, Joseph D. Carrier Gallery, Toronto, ON

• 2008 The Inspired Line, Group show, Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, Hamilton, ON

• 2007 Young Masters, Group show, Andreeva Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

• 2007 Converging Passions, Group show, Andreeva Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

• 2005 Realist Revival, Group show ARA , Earl’s Court Gallery, Hamilton, ON

• 2003 Still Classical: Works on Paper by Florentine Academies travelling exhibition: NYC; 
 Rhode Island; Rome, and Florence, Italy

• 2003 – 2012 ARA Annual Open House, Group show ARA students and faculty, Academy of 
 Realist Art, Toronto, ON

• 2002 RebelAngels.com, Contemporary Realist Painters’ self-portrait exhibition, invitational

• 2001 Canadian Miniatures, Invitational Group Show, Deerhurst Resort, ON