The Homefront: Artist Keith Martine Fills His Home With Friends’ Works
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An artist is more than just the works in the medium they’ve chosen, as photographer Keith Martine proves. They beautify every environment they encounter, they construct in situ—as he does for his live art installation series Plant Passenger, which features classic cars overflowing with plant —and then recompose those works into images that can live on in perpetuity. Perhaps most importantly, an artist works to help other artists; knowing that community is a powerful force in the art world.
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Similarly, at home, Martine’s practices are reflected in his space. His studio apartment a few blocks south of Union Square feels light, airy, and well rounded. Upon closer inspection though, the things he’s surrounded himself with on a daily basis each are reminders and channels to friends and fellow artists and makers: a coffee table designed by an old roommate, vases from a sculptor friend, and artwork from artists at Apostrophe—a start-up he co-founded, created to support and expand the reach of rising talents in the art world.
Martine gave SPY a tour of his home to highlight some of his favorite pieces he uses every day.
Schwinn Bicycle
The bike was my late father’s, in his probably late 30s. During the pandemic, I was biking around everywhere. I was using Citibike a lot. But their bikes just weren’t doing it for me. I realized how heavy and slow they were. So I was looking online one day, and thought I should buy a used bike. But then, I thought, “This is ridiculous.” There’s bikes at my parent’s home in New Jersey. So I called my mom up and she said, “You still have your dad’s.” I took it to a local repair shop, got it tuned up and brought it back to New York. And honestly, that changed my life. The ability to get around easily and quickly on something that’s so nimble, and lightweight is fantastic, not to mention it allowed me to keep a part of him with me daily.
Pentax 6×7
I was looking for a medium format camera maybe for 6 months to a year. I was thinking about getting a Pentax and spent a ton of time looking to source one from Japan. When I finally thought I found the perfect Pentax body, a friend of mine who’s a photographer called me and said, “Listen man, I brought this up before, you really should buy from someone local. My friend has one and he’s trying to sell it.” I met the friend and he told me that, “If for whatever reason you no longer like the camera, I’ll buy it back from you for the same price.” That was a better guarantee than I was getting from Japan. I bought it and haven’t looked back since. It’s a beast. It probably weighs like 5 to 10 pounds depending on the lens I’m using. That shutter is like a gunshot. The photo quality, the color gamut on those images, are next level. I don’t think I’ll find something quite like it again.
Bedside Table Books
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
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The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin, is a wonderful book by the producing genius himself. It helps me to articulate and understand my creative process a bit better.
Light Bringer Red Rising Novel
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My best friend and I loved reading the Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings series, but afterwards struggled to find anything of the same caliber. Pierce Brown re-instilled our fantasy imaginations with a futuristic dystopian twist with his Red Rising series.
Mirohaus Vases
One of my closest friends and his wife started Mirohaus, a home design studio with original goods and three residential experiences in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, California. After designing the homes, they realized the products in the market didn’t quite cut it and decided to start their own home goods line. I loved the simplicity and natural elements of the vases. There wasn’t a lot of space left in my apartment for some of their bigger pieces, so these were perfect. They’re very different from any vases I’ve seen.
Concrete Vase Set
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Mirohaus’s small, concrete vases are perfectly suited for apartment living.
Coffee Table by Thislexik
This is one of my favorite coffee tables. It’s great for book storage and also as a footrest. The founder of Thislexik was one of my original roommates in the city, way back when. He’s always had this creative side to him that I’ve enjoyed watching him explore through his work with furniture.
Modern Walnut Coffee Table with Multi-Purpose Sub-Surface Trough
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The walnut frame is a perfect storage for art books in the space.
Cesca Chairs
Typically, this is where I work from home. I got these chairs from IME Vintage.
Marcel Breuer Cesca Cane Side Chair
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Cesca chairs are known for their simplicity, and the caned backs add an organic dimension to the room.
Skincare by Dune
I recently realized I need to be more careful with my skin in the sun. Whether biking to and from meetings or spending the day at the beach, I try to remember to wear sunscreen daily. Dune’s stellar as it blends in immediately and doesn’t have a slew of unintelligible ingredients that may absorb into my body or pollute the environment.
The Mineral Melt SPF 30/50 by Dune
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Dune’s 30 SPF sunscreen is rich in Vitamin E and carrot root.
Keep Candles
I discovered this scent in the bathroom of one of my favorite local restaurants, Jolene. Keap’s a Brooklyn-based company with a monthly candle model. They send me a couple every month.
Keap Candles – Wood Cabin
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Apostrophe Gallery Prints
As an artist, I’ve grown tired of the whole “starving artists” trope. Shannon Bender and I started Apostrophe to help artists expand their distribution and increase their income beyond traditional gallery walls. One of the primary ways we do this is through connecting artists with businesses and brands who turn their walls into exhibition space, granting access and exposure to highly curated audiences. From curating spaces to developing art programming and everything in between, Apostrophe provides businesses and brands with a way to develop their cultural and community ties directly with artists.
These are two works by some of my recent favorite artists . Giulia Peyrone’s Mini Sun Chart is a beautiful embroidered piece on the right. To the left is Slim Door by Ella Barnes. The middle is my own, which is available as a print.
Apostrophe – A Planted Duetto
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Martine’s own work is also featured in Apostrophe.
Plants
I grew up in the suburbs with Mother Nature all around me. Once I moved to the city, that disconnect to nature became apparent. I realized that in order for my apartment to feel like home, it needed greenery (and lots of it).
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