Martin James Day is a wildlife and portrait artist who was born the second youngest of nine siblings in Bendigo, Victoria on the 7th November 1967 to parents Brian Day and Cherie Hopkins. His Father an Irish Catholic, was a hard working builder and his Mother was a proud home maker with a Scottish heritage who both also became artists in their senior years achieving relative success after raising their nine children.
Martin began his artistic life very early after watching his father Brian execute a perfectly rendered and life-like pencil drawing of a close family friend at the dinner table when he was at the small age of eight.
By age 15 he had enrolled for an illustration course via the Adelaide College of the Arts, which was completed in secret while being apprenticed as a builder by his traditionalist Father. He would later complete a graphic design course and be awarded a diploma of graphic design and illustration at that same college. Graduating one of the top students by the age of 20 Martin was well on his way to entering a successful career as an illustrator after moving to Queensland.
Armed with a portfolio containing a few college drawings attending an interview involving a live drawing presentation at TNT Leisure Brisbane, Martin was offered a position as the first official portrait artist to represent Queensland at the 1988 Brisbane World Expo. At his portrait studio on the southern boardwalk side of the extravaganza Martin would at the conclusion of his six month assignment—and before his 21st birthday—render an estimated 1,800 pastel drawn portraits now ornamenting dining room walls around the world. Martin was commissioned by Expo organizers to design and build a mobile Brisbane themed wall mural constructed in 3 large canvas sections which was painted with the help of a group of artists during one of the final parades of the world fair. The finished abstract work was presented to and was installed in the office hallway of the Brisbane Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson.
Following the Brisbane Expo Martin set up a portrait studio at McWhirters Marketplace in Brisbane city which would act as a base while he painted wall murals at various locations in Brisbane and suburbs. Some of his portrait commissions included country musician stars Lee Conway and Chad Morgan. During this chapter Martin also managed to complete an apprenticeship as a signwriter and worked for various sign companies, which would eventually see him land contracts such as with Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast where he was contracted along with signwriters, Artists and interior decorators to create marble and golding effects all over the buildings interior rooms.
In the early 90’s Martin also worked part time at Channel 10 Brisbane as a court artist beginning at the tail the end of the famous Fitzgerald enquiry and continung into the CJC trial of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Some of his involuntary subjects included characters such as Police Commissioner Terry Lewis , Luke Shaw , Jack Herbert (The bagman), Vic Conte and Gerry Bellino. So expertly accomplished were his court illustrations they were often sold to competing news stations locally and overseas.
The following 10 years were spent working as a professional Illustrator for 2 of Queensland’s largest Souvenir distributors, WW Souvenirs and Souvenirs Australia launching his highly successful designs into the global tourist market. During this time Martin completed a number of wildlife paintings and received a highly commended award for his illustration of a pair of Bald Eagles entitled “Nesting Ground” which was entered into the Ken Cowley art competition in 1998 holding a first prize of $250,000 and attracting thousands of artists from around the country.
However in 2007 while running his sign business Martin suffered serious wrist injuries after a 6 metre fall from a scaffolding shattering his Distal radius and Ulna bones. His wrist bones were so severely splintered that he almost lost his right arm. Six surgeries were performed over a period of 2 years by a brilliant British surgeon Dr. Michael Thomas. After years of determined rehabilitation Martin eventually regained full use of his hand and fingers with enough dexterity and strength to once again pick up the paint brushes.
Today, ensuing a lengthy hiatus following a 3-decade career of Illustrating, Mural painting and signwriting, Martin has revived his earlier passion as wildlife artist and is currently painting watercolour works featuring Australian wildlife which will be shown at exhibitions and set up for limited edition print runs.
- Writers:
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- Date written:
- 2021
- Last updated:
- 2021
