Chas Martin | Contemporary Sculpture and Painting

 Glossary of Art-Related Terms

This glossary defines key terms related to sculpture, mixed media, and visual symbolism. It explains how archetypes, materials, process, and perception shape the creation and experience of my art.

Archetype

Archetype is a universal pattern, image, or character that recurs across art, culture, and human experience. Psychologist Carl Jung described archetypes as part of the collective unconscious—shared, inherited structures of meaning. In art, archetypal imagery often evokes similar emotional responses in both the artist and the viewer, regardless of background.

Armature

An armature is the internal or external structural framework of a sculpture or mask. It is typically made of twisted steel wire, rods, or other rigid materials that provide stability and support. In exoskeleton armatures, the wire functions like a line drawing in space, defining the planes and gesture of the sculpture as the surface is built up around it.

Materials

Each sculpture determines its own material requirements. I typically use steel wire armatures layered with polymer-infused fibers such as paper and fabric to create a rigid substrate. Additional polymer and thickener layers are applied—ranging from brushable coatings to clay-like textures. Sculptures are often mounted to a final base during this process, frequently carved marble. The final stage is painting, using polymer or acrylic mediums with acrylic pigments, both translucent and opaque, applying traditional painting principles to a three-dimensional surface.

Mixed Media

Mixed media refers to the use of multiple materials within a single artwork. In my practice, this usually includes several gauges of steel wire, organic fibers (wood, paper, fabric), and polymer mixtures to build surface texture and strength. In recent commissions, I have also used polymer combined with bronze powder, which can be polished to create a true bronze surface.

Personal Mythology

Personal mythology is the way an individual creates meaning from lived experience. Each person inhabits their own narrative—simultaneously director, actor, and audience—shaped by archetypes and circumstances. In creative work, this often involves imagining a problem and then creating its resolution. The accumulation of these responses and symbols forms one’s personal mythology.

Realization

Realization is the act of bringing an imagined outcome into physical or social form. It may appear as a finished artwork, an interaction, or any manifestation first seen in the mind’s eye. Visualization and realization are closely connected; realization completes the imagined idea.

Visualization

Visualization is anything perceived internally through the imagination. Sustained focus on an image creates tension between imagination and reality, often motivating action. When an idea becomes vivid enough, the subconscious works to manifest it in the physical world.

Visual Communication

Visual communication is the exchange of meaning through images and symbols. External visuals—such as letters, icons, or archetypal imagery—stimulate internal mental images and emotional responses. This ongoing visual “call and response” between image and viewer forms the foundation of communication.

Negative Space

Negative space is the empty space surrounding and penetrating a sculpture’s form. In three-dimensional work, negative space is as important as the solid form, creating tension and inviting movement. Because the viewer physically occupies this space, they become an active part of the sculptural experience.

Unanswered Question

Art that leaves questions unresolved invites deeper engagement. By presenting ambiguity rather than resolution, the viewer is encouraged to explore multiple interpretations. Artists such as René Magritte used this strategy to create imagery that challenges logic and relies on the viewer’s personal experience for meaning.

Collective Unconscious

The collective unconscious is Carl Jung’s term for the shared reservoir of universal human experiences and archetypal knowledge. These ideas are not individual possessions but part of a common human inheritance. In my work, I use physical symbols and archetypal forms to emphasize shared experience rather than divisions.