“Life is a gift, and painting is one of the ways we realize what we are given. I paint because it helps me pay attention to our world, our lives in it and our lives together. Our lives are complex. We have chaos and loss – all kinds of darkness, but with these shadows always there is some kind of light. We build with that.”
In Loving Memory
It is with great sadness and an immensely heavy heart that we announce that Marty Poole passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of natural causes on September 13, 2025. We are devastated by the news. He has been represented by West End Gallery for 47 of the Gallery’s 49-year history. We first came to know Marty when he began to work with us at Corning Art and Frame in 1979 and he has been a beloved part of our family ever since. Undoubtedly, he was a brilliant and talented artist, and he will be dearly missed.
Our hearts go out to Marty’s Family and Friends as we all mourn this immeasurable loss while and also remember the gifts he shared with us throughout the years.
The ripples spread far and deep in both Marty’s life and in his passing. He leaves a beautiful legacy of love, light, and hope in the wake of his presence on this earth.
We’re grateful our paths crossed in life and for the time we shared with him.
~ The Gardner Family
Tom, Lin, Jesse & John, John, and Lisa
About the Artist
Martin A. Poole
1955-2025
West End Gallery has had the honor of representing painter, Martin Poole, for 47 of the Gallery’s 49-year history. He began working with Tom and Linda Gardner, founders of West End Gallery, in 1979. Poole originally went to the State University of New York, Buffalo, where he majored in Fine Arts, studying printmaking. He met the late Thomas S. Buechner through fellow artist, Tom Gardner in 1980. Poole continued to hone his emotive style under the tutelage of Buechner who stated that during his time with Poole, “A small group of people who like to paint met on Sunday mornings in nice weather to do landscapes together. About a year later, when my studio was finished, we added a Friday night session with a model, and painted still life subjects on Sundays when weather was bad. Marty and I have painted together almost every week through all these years. He has become the most stimulating presence in my life as a Corning painter, and a friend whom I enjoy immensely”. Poole, himself, went on to teach numerous classes and workshops. His work has been in group and solo exhibitions and in numerous private, corporate and public collections. While Poole has exhibited in other galleries across the country, West End Gallery remains Poole’s home gallery and retains the most extensive collection of his paintings.