Off the Street and Onto the Wall
Artist Martin Budny shines at DV8
• Stewart Clayton
I follow my dreams. I’m open to my passions.

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“The life I’ve chosen… I’m committed to it” - Martin Budney, actor/artist Martin Budny can’t get a gig in this town. The trained actor, who has had parts in television’s “Dark Angel”, “Smallville”, and “DaVinci’s Inquest,” has been to a number of auditions this year but has yet to land a role. This is not so much a reflection on his talent as it is a sign of a slowdown in the local film/TV industries in general. But Martin will not get caught up in the typical 9 to 5 rat race to supplement his income. “I refuse to get a regular job,” he says matter-of -factly.

The good news is that Martin is an extraordinarily talented painter. His work is in collections throughout North America, as well as in Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Brazil. Not bad for the 26 year old, self-taught artist who less than six years ago was selling artwork on the sidewalks of North Beach, California. He has hawked his art on streets from Vancouver to New York to Brazil for as little as $50 or just for a place to stay. But year by year the prices have steadily gone up. Most recently, a large canvas fetched $6800—the most, so far.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq to Polish, Bulgarian parents, his artistic side was inspired by the rich creativity of his extended family. There were artists and musicians all around him growing up. His aunt and uncle were professional musicians; his grandfather, an accomplished realism artist; his mother, a dancer in stage musicals. He was also, no doubt, stimulated by a childhood spent in the opulent cultures of Poland, Bulgaria and Egypt.

In 1987 his family immigrated to Canada. Finding it difficult to adapt to his new environs, he spent a lot of time in the library, developing a fascination with cartoon drawings, graphics and high-end consumer branding. His artistic career began to blossom when he moved to Vancouver in 1996. He was accepted into Langara College’s respected Studio 58 acting program, and also took up drumming. Around this time he also began to seriously focus on the visual arts. He works in acrylics, oils and mixed media; his influences range from Gustav Klimt to Jackson Pollock to the Austrian painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

He has traveled throughout North America during the past few years, and recently spent five months in Brazil, but he keeps returning to Vancouver. “I like painting here. There are a lot of opportunities (in the art world).” Tall, dark, fit and slender, definitely cool but without the attitude, he is calm and friendly, eager to proceed with our brief interview, anticipating many more situations like this in the future. “The life I’ve chosen… I’m committed to it. I have no secrets really. I follow my dreams. I’m open to my passions.”
He also enjoys the promotional part of the artist’s life: “I’m pretty good at it,” he states flatly, without any hint of arrogance. “It’s fun to paint…. The business comes later, naturally.”

His current solo show is running from October 1 to 29 at one of Vancouver’s hippest restaurant-lounges, DV8. Martin’s new exclusive representative, Posh Entertainment Inc. has organized this show. This is something new for Martin, having a backer, helping to arrange his promotions. “I’m a huge control freak. I’m learning as I go…”.

Victoria Clements, the owner of Posh, was introduced to Martin’s work when she was looking for original art for the walls of her animation studio. “I thought his work was perfect for the clientele that wandered through the office. I was obviously right because it was on the walls less than a week and we sold a painting to an animation director we had in the studio here from Florida. He loved his work.”

Victoria has a lengthy and impressive resume in the art world, having been everything from a runway model and production assistant to a performer in ‘The Vagina Monologues.’ No doubt Martin and his career could do much worse than having a promoter such as Victoria, with her sincere enthusiasm and her considerable clout in the entertainment world. Her new company is marketing and promoting a few select artists, fashion designers and filmmakers; Martin is the first artist on her roster.

Postscript (October 1/02, 10:00pm)
Opening Night - DV8 A doorman in a slick suit and tie with guestbook in hand stands guard outside DV8. A small crowd mingles in front of the entrance, waiting for a table or a spot at the bar.
Stepping inside the small space, the tables are jammed with a young and beautiful crowd. It’s impossible to get a close-up view of Martin’s creations hanging from the walls—without invading the space of the table-sitters.
But the effect as a whole of his lively, colourful work is electric: a funky, cool contemporary art vibe befitting of the DV8 lounge.
There is a buzz in the room, but the artist has yet to show….
Check out his work if you are in Vancouver this month. Highly recommended.
Links:
Posh Entertainment
http://www.poshentertainment.com
DV8 Lounge (515 Davie Street,
Vancouver, BC)
http://www.dv8lounge.com

© Stewart Clayton - Writer/Teacher - Intern this fall on hackwriters
email: canim@canoemail.com
October 2, 2002

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