A leading force in the Chicano Art Movement, Martínez draws on his Laredo, Texas, upbringing to convey South Texas experiences in his paintings and drawings. He recreates images from memory, yearbook photos, and obituary photographs. The intersection of culture, identity, and memory forms the foundation of his artistic vision, allowing him to reclaim and revitalize the cultural life of Chicanos and South Texas. Through selective use of pigment, the color field amplifies the mood or message he aims to express. Martínez describes this color field as an abstract landscape, with the typical band of color at the top suggesting a horizon line. His characters rarely have naturalistic skin tones; this is his way of confronting discrimination and neutralizing its effects.