For many years the work of Jim Martin has explored words, gesture, and cultural meanings. Specifically he looks at slang words or acronyms that often get the point across in a more direct unencumbered way. Whether working with bronze, canvas, metallic powders, patinas, graphite, or paper Jim Martin presents images that are both bold and mysterious.

Jim Martin was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He received a B.F.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Houston when the school was the focal point of the Houston art world and then spent nearly two decades in New York City. His work is in the museum collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; and the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, as well as numerous private and corporate collections.