[5][2] He studied fine arts at the University of Nebraska, graduating in the class of 1933.
[7] After graduating, Martin would attend the Art Institute of Chicago with his childhood friend and fellow artist Charles Rain, with both of them traveling to a variety of European cities such as Vienna, Paris, and Berlin in the 1930s-1940s.
[10] In 1935, Keith Martin had a solo exhibition at the Julien Levy gallery in New York City, an early center for surrealist and modern art.
[4][12] Martin also participated in a show in Minneapolis in 1947 alongside other Nebraskan artists, including Dwight Kirsch and Gladys M.
[13] Later this same year, Martin's paintingThe Tragedy of Hamlet would go on display at an exhibition at the University of Nebraska.