Visual Art – Los Angeles

Martin Free Ramos, a Hong Kong born Filipino, moved to Los Angeles when he was 16 years old. He has been creating art since he was old enough to hold a pencil, but aside from his high school art teachers, Free has mostly been self-taught. With techniques he has picked up from other artists, and through artistic experimentation, Free has developed his own way of using chalk & chalk pencils in conjunction with other media, like pencils & ink, to express different textures and details. Through most of his life, Free has only maintained art as a hobby, donating pieces to various fund-raisers for auction, and participating in the annual Pasadena Chalk Festival over the last 6 years, but only recently made the decision to pursue his art professionally in 2015, and participated in his first show with Conception Arts in 2017. Involving elements of fashion and fantasy, Free’s artistic vision is expressed through two main signature styles which he calls "The Glamour & The Whimsy." Informed by Erté, Disney & comic book art, he strives to create "Art from the Heart" which moves, touches, inspires & encourages all who see it. He wants to show people not only beautiful images, but also how much beauty exists in the details, and how they all play together to create something truly stunning, as a way to portray how what makes us all beautiful, valuable beings are all made up of the experiences in our lives, big & small, happy & sad, bright & dark! Free is continuing to create "Art from the Heart" in Pasadena, CA.