Artist Statement
I see my art as conceptual, or imaginative.
I have a very free-form process. I focus on familiar patterns, like those found in nature, as well as in the beauty of the human face. I sometimes try to connect abstract or disparate ideas to deepen my own understanding and to show this through my art in a mystical way. My themes incorporate a love of spirituality, nature, myth, world culture, mysticism and science fiction.
For my current digital work, I'm using photo editing tools, effects apps and Al applications to enhance my art. A big part of my process is the initial concept. If an idea inspires me, I try to capture the essence of the feeling it gave me. I also use my own art (designs and animations, for example) to create something new.
My results with this approach + the tools I use inspire me continuously to go further and experiment more.
A Note on My Process
Most of the art I’ve created for the past two years (particularly with the “Folktale Heroes”, FHPE series) was created using AI, but not solely AI.
Basically, I'm using the AI for 3D realism: light/shadow, surfaces and materials. If I want to create a mask (for example) made of a particular material — wood, stone, metal, etc. — I can specify that.
My initial 2D art concept becomes a source image. After this, I formulate a detailed text prompt and I run this + my source image through the Al application or software. I also use photographic filters and effects apps, with final editing in Adobe Lightroom and/or Snapseed.
Process outline page from my portfolio.
Process images from FHPE series.
Group One (FHPE series)
Art from the first “group” of images for the Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth series, created July 2023.
Art Shown:
Top Left: The Elder
Top Right: Best Storyteller
Bottom Left: Grandmother Spirit
Bottom Right: Laughing Bird (No. 3)
AI/3D Art
In addition to creating art for larger collections, I’ve put together a variety of smaller series which I’ve started uploading to my Redbubble Shop (click on image below).
My current series of art includes new 3D digital and AI art. What makes my creations unique (to me) is that the variety and type of concepts reflect my interests, themes, and personal brand.
Crystal Cave I
Crystal caves are simple 3D geometric abstracts resembling folded paper art, or paper sculpture.
Distant Fires
A desert scene designed as if you’re looking out from beneath a stone outcrop. It becomes your quiet space and your own personal view of the canyon.
Floral Henna
Digital art created from an original ink drawing of my hand (image on the right) with a simple henna tattoo design. Recreated using AI.
Henna Hands
Digital art created from an original ink drawing of my hand with simple henna tattoo designs, recreated in AI to give the appearance of colorful drawings.
Flower of Life
Simple 3D flower-of-life sacred geometric symbol, rendered as a metallic emblem.
Tibeto-Maya Mandalas
Tibeto-Maya Mandalas are 3D geometric figures meant to resemble the structure of the universe and a spiritual focusing tool. They are a type of medicine wheel intended to be calming.
Red Disk Buddhas
Simple, peaceful, meditative buddhas framed by a red disk that also serves as a kind of halo around their heads.
Small Series & Collections
Most of the art here was first listed as NFTs on Opensea. My Main Collection consisted of several smaller groups of themed Art. Currently, it is being made available for purchase via e-commerce sites.
Emperor’s Bird
The Emperor’s Bird series is the result of modifications to a mirrored fractal that resulted in a bird-like emblem. With this art I’m trying to convey themes of tradition, nostalgia, sovereignty, and even redemption. It is s a kind of visual fable for an imaginary, benevolent empire. It is the summation of the life and travels of a time-worn Emperor and the dawning era of an Empress.
To make different versions, I altered color and effects.
Art Shown::
Emperor’s Bird: Tales from the Yucatán (Top of Page)
Emperor’s Bird: Storybook SealStudy of a Wave
The Study of a Wave series is about the ocean, life and a spiritual journey. I’ve approached this series as if documenting a living wave’s growth and evolution. Each image and title tells a story. It was inspired by the focus and zen of Surfing Culture.
Also included in this series is art that was created about a year later. Ice designs, and AI-assisted 3D art were created from the original images.
Postcards from Tibet
Postcards from Tibet is a mini-series of graphic designs with the central theme of a sacred Tibetan mountain and temple.
Witchstitchery
Witchstitchery is a mini-series of 7 very simple graphic designs meant to resemble fabric, or textiles. I attempted to fool the eye using perspective, light and blurring to make them more unique.
FHPE Mask Series
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel World
Xisuthros (Noah)
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE series)
Xisuthros is an AI-assisted, 3D conceptual design.
The inspiration for Xisuthros is from the ancient flood story from the Sumerian texts, so this art also reflects the biblical story of Noah, albeit with tribal influence. The art Xisuthros was previously named Ziusudra, which is the Sumerian name for Noah. I decided to change his name to reflect Greek mythology — Xisuthros is the Hellenization of the name Ziusudra, so they represent the same person - both are the names of the hero of a great flood.
The turquoise blue details of his headdress reflect the colors of the ocean
FHPE
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE)
Art shown is (c) 2023, 2024 by Veronica Martinez / ArtLynette. Protected by Digital Copyright.
Art Titles
Top Row, L to R:
1. Xisuthros (Noah)
2. Baba Obatala
3. Ghost of the KingCenter Row, L to R:
4. King’s Ushabti
5. Het-heru (Hathor)
6. Macedonian Bird No. 1 (A toy)Bottom Row, L to R:
7. Japanese Noh-Bot
8. Elemental Sky-Spirit Mask
9. Uruna Mask (Fusion: African, Celtic & Mediterranean influence)
Tribal Seishin
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE series)
Tribal Seishin is an AI-assisted, 3D conceptual design. It is a fusion of cultural influences, including Haida, Mayan, and Hopi. The image is meant to be a robotic sculpture fashioned and carved entirely in wood. It represents a falcon spirit-guardian.
“Seishin” is a Japanese term meaning spirit.
Laughing Bird (2023)
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE series)
Laughing Bird Mask (2023)
AI-assisted, 3D conceptual art. This totemic design was influenced by African, Haida and Pueblo indigenous culture. This is an imaginary fusion representing a beloved trickster character that an artisan has carved in a centuries-old traditional style.
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About the Series.
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE) is a conceptual art series of cultural masks I began creating in July 2023. It consists of tribal masks portraying beloved folktale characters from a parallel version (or versions) of Earth. The masks represent beings, animal-hybrids and deities.
Anumati Deity of the Central Suun
Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth (FHPE series)
The image shows the face of a hero of the ancient Guriyot tribe of the world Anumat. He is also referred to as First Born because he ascended to become a principal deity of his tribe. In his life on Anumat, he led by example, saved many lives, and proclaimed the laws of a divine, galactic lineage (Central Suun) that resides within every being.
This art belongs to a series of imaginary cultural masks and characters I began creating in July 2023, called Folktale Heroes of a Parallel Earth.
This art was selected for Stellar Whispers: A Black Fae Day Cybernetic Exhibition that ran from May 1 to 30, 2024.
Nomadic Paint
From the Forest Beneath the Falls
Forever Guanyin
Nomadic Paint Series.
Forever Guanyin highlights the tranquil countenance of Guanyin (or Kwanyin) and is a message of peace.
The Story
An ancient statue stands before a still lake in the mountains. Nearby sits the modest temple of a poor village.
Beloved by the village, the statue is as old as the mountains. It was created by a mysterious monk who devotedly carved and painted the statue before disappearing without a trace.
Centuries pass. Distressed at the state of the world, the statue slowly comes to life.
The Concept
This art concept is based on the lost Japanese Sci-Fi film the Great Buddha Arrival (1934) and its remake of the same title from 2018. It is about the revered Daibutsu statue which comes to life and begins wandering around Nagoya city.
Model created from several “parent” models
I created my original model from several different images (I sometimes create a number of models at once. It’s very likely I used royalty-free images from Unsplash or Pexels).
My result was modified several times, and was also used as a source image to create other models.
Final Image
My final image appears to be a double exposure and a collage — a rough paint design is superimposed on her face, and then the image is placed on a background (in this case a misty mountain and forest wallpaper).
Once I saw the result, I created her story almost simultaneously. I had recently seen a documentary about the Great Buddha Arrival film and I remember wondering: what if Kwanyin came to life like the giant Buddha?
Emrys
Nomadic Paint Series.
Emrys is another name for Merlin
Story of Nomadic Paint
How the Series Started
While creating a collage one day, I chose the wrong image. I superimposed one of my own designs on the face I was working on. It created a tribal tattoo. I liked the look of it and my first thought was Nomadic Paint.
Nomadic Paint is theatrical and imaginary. The first few designs were meant to resemble or strongly hint at indigenous groups, but the series doesn’t specifically (or accurately) contain any nomadic tribes.
I’m working from a list of concepts that include: Science Fiction & Fantasy, world culture, folktale and myth. Some were inspired by Quantum physics, AI, the Singularity, Ancient Egypt, Aztec/Mayan culture, Pirates and Cirque du Soleil.
Models
My first model was created from the screenshot of a game avatar. I then merged it with another image and edited it until I was happy with it.
Predominantly Male
My models are predominantly male, but just recently I’ve started creating female models.
Model Variety
L to R: “Unit 502” and “Asian American”, 2022.
L to R: River Ancestor, P H A R A O H, and Noospheric Future.
“Navigator-of-Souls” (2022)
Armor of Candace
I created the Armor of Candace (also AOC) series from a 15-second abstract video clip. It was created to be set to music, but was never used. My originals for this series consisted of 9 basic designs; though similar, no two are exactly alike.
First “Candace” Series
My first series on Opensea consisted of 6 variations.
Exclusive 1/1 Designs
It’s a lot of fun for me to create these. So many possibilities. Naming them is fun also.
Shown: Demigoddess (L), Celestial (R)
Color Series
Though they might seem to be related to a comic book series they’re not. But I was having fun making them. The color series contains just 4 styles named: Hard Peach, Buttercup, Ionic Green (shown), and Violet.
The Candace Concept
Armor of Candace (AOC)
My concept was developed around the mystery and enigma of the letter X. As a symbol, it has carried its own mystique and various uses throughout history (e.g. language and mathematics). In some ways, it can represent disenfranchised, or overlooked groups— such as people of color, or women.
FIT FOR A QUEEN
The Armor of Candace is also a nod to the African Queen Candace of Kush who, in addition to being a queen, was a military leader (the word “cadence” derived from the name Candace, just FYI).
IDEALIZED SHAPE
The shape suggests an idealized woman’s torso, or waist. Basically, the meaning behind it is martial (military) and related to the female as sovereign.
FIVE ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS
Concept & Art by Veronica Martinez
Five Ancient Astronauts (5AA)
NFT Collection
FIVE ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS was one of my first NFT Art Collections. Like Armor of Candace, the images were gathered from a 15 second abstract art graphic. The art inspired me to tell their story; as I created a new series, or altered their masks in some way, I was also imagining an event.
ABOUT THE ART SERIES
Each mask is meant to represent the face of an alien life form as well as an indigenous mask. Also, the images, colors, patterns or textures on the masks themselves, reflect whatever environment, planet, or dimension they happen to be in currently. The masks also hint (I think) at their personalities.
THE CONCEPT
The concept is about a group of five inter-dimensional time travelers from the same Galaxy. The group consists of a leader, a geneticist, a historian, an explorer, and a scout. The series tells about their adventures in different Paradigms.
As they enter a new Paradigm (or existential pattern), their appearances (the art) will change, as will their story.
The First Series of “Nauts”
My first series on Opensea is a micro-series (of five) that are a gold tone in color.
After this, I listed a Retro series and then the astros in Monochrome.It wasn’t until I started creating the Variants that I was inspired to create their adventures.
Collage 1 - Faces of Akoka
This shows the astro Akoka in different Paradigms.
Collage 2 - Faces of Ghez-qi
This collage shows the Astro Ghez-qi in different Paradigms.
Collage 3 - Faces of Rhao
This collage shows the many faces of Rhao.
Collage 4 - Faces of Ksabi
A collage of images showing Ksabi in different Paradigms.
Collage 5 - Faces of Pani-ghel
This collage shows the many faces of Pani-ghel in different Paradigms.
Veronica Martinez / ArtLynette
Artist Bio
Veronica Martinez, or ArtLynette was born in Seattle. Her family background is military so she’s traveled some. Her grade school years were spent in Germany, from where she was able to tour cities in Italy and take a school Art trip to Strasbourg, France. In the ensuing years, she and her family lived on a number of military bases across the U.S.
She grew up shy: she began drawing at age 4 and wrote short stories to entertain herself around age 9. She was an avid reader growing up, and admits to being that person whose Fantasy novels often included a map. She also had a fascination for names, name etymology and world-building. She created otherworldly beings and sometimes even languages for her stories.
Despite her creativity, she joined the U.S. Army at 21 to continue traveling, and to follow in her father’s footsteps. She wasn’t able to return to Germany (as she’d hoped), but was given the opportunity to serve in Sinai, Egypt instead. She believes this experience became a kind of spiritual catalyst for her.
During her time in the military, she married, had a child, and subsequently became a single parent. Following her military service, she returned to school in Washington state, then she and her son followed her parents to Alaska where she’s currently based.
OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE