No Time to Lose: Paintings by Rommie Martinez

When I first started painting a few years ago, I had just experienced two losses in the family back to back. Honestly, painting was just a form of therapy for me. But then I started watching nature videos about marine animals and I decided to get my scuba diving certification. For the next five years, I was off on a scuba diving trip every year, visiting friends around the world. Over the last five years I have done 10 paintings and at the end of it all I sat down and wrote a children’s book combining all of them. I have created a character called “Eco Girl” which you will see in my current exhibit. The exhibit is like walking through a comic book, with text written next to each painting telling a story. And, as an extra special perk, you can download a program on your phone which shows each of the paintings animated live as you view them. Although all the paintings are real in the book (not AI) this AR (or augmented reality) adds a sweet touch to it all. On top of everything else, I’m launching my book The Adventures of Eco Girl on the same day as my opening, October 4, 2026, available in person at the reception or any time on Amazon.