Bulgarian/American artist Martin Dimitrov was selected fellow of the prestigious Donald and Kim Jurney Traveling Fellowship, which he used to travel to Spain and study the works of Velazquez and Sorolla. Martin's works have been exhibited at Sotheby's Gallery New York, MEAM museum in Barcelona, Tucson Museum of Art, and New Britain Museum of Art among others. Artist Statement My artwork is created through direct observation (from life) and/or from imagination. I purposely avoid the use of technology while conceptualizing or executing my paintings/sculptures for two main reasons. Firstly, I choose to draw my inspiration directly from nature and my own memories and experiences. This is because, I believe that the impact that nature has on our senses, visual and otherwise, cannot be approximated by technology. Nature’s effect is both subjective - influencing our emotional state, as well as objective - the range of light and color that our naked eye perceives is yet to be matched by a photograph. Thus, by working directly from life or imagination, I hope to achieve a more immediate and personal interpretation of the subject. Secondly, I aspire to continuously advance my abilities as a craftsman. By taking the long road of doing everything by hand, I am challenged to practice and to improve. In addition, my working method sometimes requires more creative solutions to re-create an imaginary environment or to capture a fleeting moment. This keeps my process fresh, fun and challenging.