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Ma'Laysia
Martin

Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts｜Los Angeles, CA
TEACHER: LaMoin Garrand
Drawing
Portrait of woman facing camera with green serpent
Serpent｜20 x 20 in.
Material(s): -Oil, -Acrylic, -Golf leaf Process(es): I sketched for the underpainting, continued painting in oil. I painted the background in acrylic.
I wanted to add a more positive representation of Black People in the art world. I was tired of seeing stereotypical pieces. It is a lot of ‘fight the power” and “strong black women/men.” There is a constant picture of us being in “fight or flight” mode. I feel that we shouldn’t be portrayed as strong, restless warriors all the time. We need to rest for the sake of our mental health and self-preservation. We can be gentle and sensitive, too. So I painted us in our most relaxed and happy spaces.

Student
statement

The title of this work is Glare and
Serpent. I had to find a way to paint curly hair without too much effort. I didn’t want to put too much detail in the hair and take away from the face. I used oil paint to complete the whole piece. I started with the background first so I didn't have to worry about filling in the edges near the subject when I was painting. This year, I learned that art is a mindset.
You can’t really force yourself to do it if you’re not in the mood. My teachers taught me how to make an underpainting to give my paintings a more quality look.
The teachers helped me pick a medium that will look best with my style. I advise other AP and Design students to embrace their art journey and not force false images on themselves under the impression that another artist is better than them.
Student Headshot
Ma'Laysia Martin
Portrait of woman facing camera wearing a red shir
Glare｜11 x 14 in
Material(s): -Oil Process(es): I sketched out the fi gure for the underpainting and continued painting in oil.
Teacher
statement
LaMoin Garrard
Malaysia has had to endure and overcome many obstacles in her young life. She is the epitome of self-motivation, determination, and perseverance—never letting any negative circumstance get in the way of her creativity. She has created a profound, socially relevant, large body of work. We are very proud of her accomplishments and wish her continued success at the college level.
Ma'Laysia Martin