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1938
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Born July 24, 1938 on Capitol Hill, Washington DC; Margaret Helen Dove and James Walter Martin (itinerant Jazz musician), parents.
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1942
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Mother dies; is placed in foster care in Washington DC, runs away on several occasions; is placed in reform school.
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1943
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Mid 1940-1960
Is placed in foster care on farm in Clarksburg, Maryland; foster parents Franie and Madessa Snowdon; reunites with brother Jerry Martin (b. 1942) in foster care around 1953; works on farm and tractors, builds sheds; plays upright bass, thunder bass, and slide trombone in the local rhythm & blues band "The Nu-tones"; draws realistic portraits, nature scenes; briefly attends the Navy for opportunity to receive art education, but is honorably discharged. Attends Clarksburg Elementary, and Lincoln High and Carver High in Rockville, MD. Ponders whether to become full-time musician or visual artist.
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1959
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Montgomery County Fair, Maryland: Prize-winning portrait.
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1960-1963
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Moves to Washington DC; attends Corcoran School of Art during day, works as janitor with the Montgomery County School Board at night.
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1963-1988
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Lives in Washington DC in group houses, is sometimes homeless, or is invited to stay for long periods of time in the homes of friends – Thomas Stark, Al Stern, Isabel Taylor, Marco Leonardi; creates art according to circumstances: graphite and pen & ink drawings on paper in libraries, outside parks, or in airports; more elaborate mixed media works of paper, and oil paintings when he had access to more permanent studio space; draws on napkins when he was too poor to afford materials. Occasional participation in group shows. C. Bastian, Munich Museum of Modern Art, acquires several works of art.
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1963-2005
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Makes the decision to become a full-time visual artist; creates art outside the contemporary art movements.
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1982-1988
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Meets marine botanist Suzanne Fredericq in Washington DC, gets married in 1988.
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1988-1990
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Lives in Washington DC; enjoys the stability to create acrylic paintings on paper and canvas; travels to western Europe.
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1990-1994
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Lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; solo exhibits at Duke University, the Horace William House; Bonnie and David Hobbs invite him to participate in several group exhibits at Fridholm Fine Arts in Asheville, North Carolina.
Solo exhibit at Michel Rooryck Gallery in Ghent, Belgium.
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1994-1996
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Lives in Washington DC; experiments with mixed media collages; solo exhibit in Oudenaarde, Belgium.
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1996-2005
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Lives in Lafayette, Louisiana; solo exhibits curated by Brian Guidry at the Galerie Lafayette and the Acadiana Arts Center; two-person shows at the Zigler Museum and Opelousas Museum of Art.
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2001-2004
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Suffers simultaneously a brain hemorrhage and stroke in December 2001 in Belgium; upon return to Lafayette, undergoes physical therapy, adapts, resumes painting.
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2004
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Donated artwork to Palates & Paté, Acadiana Outreach Center. Lafayette, Louisiana.
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Donated artwork to Lymphoma Society. Lafayette, Louisiana.
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Donated artwork to Susan Konem Breast Cancer organization. Lafayette, Louisiana.
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2005
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Dies January 1st in his home with the help of palliative care after a one-month stay at the hospital; 3 works of art are included in the permanent collection of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, David Houston, Curator.
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2006
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Art from the Heart. Benefit for the rebuilding process of the artist community of New Orleans, and the David C. Driskell Center, Univ. Maryland at College Park. Organized by the Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana. June 9-10.
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Art and Travel Auction: Studio Connection: Louisiana Artists partner with Louisiana Public Broadcasting. LSU Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Exhibition Gallery, Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. May 25-June 10.
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2007
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Art & Travel auction, Louisiana Public Television, Baton Rouge Louisiana, May-June 10, Louisiana Arts & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Embrace, The fine arts fair of the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta - featured artist of the Parish Gallery, Georgetown. July 19-22.
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2009
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Artist has been included in ARS (Artist Rights Society).
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