Pow Martinez is known for his fearless use of texture, applying layer upon layer of paint on canvas, imbuing the image with an extra sense of tangibility. His bold use of color and offbeat imagery speaks of a tongue-in-cheek sensibility that is playful, but not without yearning. His art inspires even as it disarms the viewer, its candidness a refreshing and updated take on humanity’s most perennial of desires.

The artist has mentioned that his work is a reflection of a combination of what his reality is, and what he thinks reality should be. New World depicts, in hyperreality, a favorite subject of the old masters: the journey. In it, an ark is crammed to overflowing with large...