about marty

As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, Marty Santry displayed a unique drawing talent that caught the attention of his parents’ eclectic group of friends, including a Gloria Lucas, who introduced him to local artists. She also introduced him to the arts by a variety of unforgettable cultural experiences including a life altering 1960s’ Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Andy Warhol’s “Ten Most Wanted” at the 1964 World’s Fair.

Throughout his childhood, exposure to artists from different eras and genres helped shaped Santry’s appreciation of diversified creative expression, whether he was in the city or spending family summers in the back bays of Sea Isle City N.J.

As a young adult, Santry attended Penn State as a Political Science major. He studied painting at various venues in Philadelphia including Hussian School of Art, receiving instructions from such artists as Max Fisher and Virgil Sova, Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) and Fleischer Art Memorial. Galvanized by all he learned, Santry experimented with an array of modalities and his work has been represented at various art exhibits.

Infused with an adventurous streak, Santry studied, painted and lived in locations around the world, including California, Miami, England, Crete and St. Croix. By the early 1990’s looking for a more permanent home he visited a friend in Cape May N.J. and never left. In this Victorian seaside resort town he paints Plein Aire by the dunes, finds beauty in stark winters and is inspired by vivid illuminations cast by ocean-reflected sunlight.

Santry’s body of work embraces a wide range of mediums and styles to achieve his artistic ends.

Born to the land but drawn to the sea this former Philly kid is inspired by both to create the bold and distinctive artwork of a lifelong explorer.