Jac Martin-Ferrières was the son of the well-known painter Henri Martin (1860-1943) who provided the early foundation for his art studies. However, he seems to have altered the spelling of his name to distinguish himself from his father. He was fortunate to study with some of the brightest lights of the Post-Impressionist movement including Fernand Cormon, E. Laurent and most influential, Henri Martin. A retrospective of his work in 1965 confirmed his reputation as a master of the scintillating effects of light, from his Venetian scenes to his landscapes of winter scenes. His themes seemed to have been limited to landscapes and still-lifes.

His career seems to have been marked by early successes, including being considered “hors-concours” at the Salon des Artistes Francais meaning that his work was accepted for exhibition without having to go through the usual competitive approval process. He was awarded a medaille d’argent in 1923 and a ‘bourse de voyage’ in 1924. In 1925 he was awarded the prix National and in 1928 the gold medal and the Legay-Lebrun prize (Prix de l’Institut).