Christopher Martin’s Flit Joyfully… (2025, Mixed Media Sculpture) shifts his text-based practice into a more lyrical and poetic register, merging his signature sculptural form with imagery drawn from nature and light.

The work presents a long vertical sheet of white, pierced cleanly by a black arrow, anchoring a passage of text:
“FLIT JOYFULLY WITH ME AMONG THE GREEN BRANCHES AS WE BECOME THE ARTIST OF LIGHT AND SHADOW ON THE FOREST FLOOR BELOW.”

Unlike his shorter mantra-like phrases, this piece reads almost like a fragment of poetry. Its rhythm and imagery transport the viewer beyond reflection into imagination—an invitation to move lightly, playfully, in communion with nature. The words conjure a dance of presence: fleeting moments of shadow and light, joy and transience, all observed and embodied by the “artist” within us.

The arrow’s strike grounds the sentiment, fixing the ephemeral into permanence. As with Martin’s broader series, the act of piercing turns language into object, a reminder that words are not only read but felt and experienced.

The pared-down black-and-white aesthetic ensures focus on the text, while the material form gives physicality to a fleeting thought.

In Flit Joyfully…, Martin elevates poetry into sculpture, weaving together his philosophy of presence with a vision of lightness, play, and interconnectedness. It is an artwork that celebrates the beauty of momentary existence, etched into permanence through form and gesture.

16.5 x 8.25 x 17in
Ink on Paper + Wood Arrow