Martin Ball was born in 1952. He studied at Elam School of Fine Art in Auckland and later became a lecturer at Manukau Institute of Technology.

Martin is one of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary portrait painters. In 2008, his portrait of Neil Finn was selected by 40 of the Art Gallery of New South Wales staff, as winner of the Packing Room Prize in Australia’s prestigious Archibald Portrait Exhibition. Ball was the first New Zealand based artist selected as a finalist for the Archibald in 2005, and again in 2007.

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Ball’s hyperrealist style emphasises the character and likeness of the portrait subject with meticulous precision and flair. His interpretation of the subject employs subtle pictorial elements to create the illusion of a reality which might or might not exist. Through the act of painting Ball demonstrates his exquisite technical capabilities. His use of a singular portrait theme and subject is complex and thought-provoking which engages and challenges the viewer, not only through the paintings' references to the social, cultural and political themes but also to the tradition of portraiture itself.

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Martin Ball's work is held in public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

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Martin is represented by Orexart in Auckland.