The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: Have your interests in working with clay evolved? What do you plan to explore next?
Fernando Martinez: I started my clay exploration by way of making wooden pieces first. My main focus for many years was furniture making, sculpture, and painting. I realized what was inspiring me were Japanese wood-fired ceramics and
so I began a journey with that aesthetic and firing process. Although I continue to wood-fire my work, in the last year, I have been drawn more and more to gas firing as it allows for greater color variations with underglaze, stains, and oxides. As
I move forward, I’m finding my work is moving in multiple directions. Collage is a great source of inspiration and I am particularly interested in the seam and rip capacity of clay. I will be incorporating painterly techniques as I move along
with collage as a major pursuit.
1 Fernando Martinez' Us Now and Then, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, gas-fired cone-10 clay, 2024.
CM: What role does tactility play in your work?
FM: Tactility is almost a given in my work. I feel the same way about other people’s work as well. One of the great pleasures I have experienced is visiting the Ippodo Gallery in New York City and being allowed to hold pieces by
some of the world’s greatest Japanese ceramic artists. It is one thing to look at a piece of art and then quite another to feel the artist’s intentions and decisions. I hope that people feel this way about my work as well.
2 Fernando Martinez' We Were Two, 22 in. (55.9 cm) in height, gas-fired cone-10 clay, 2024.
CM: Do you maintain a sketchbook for idea generation or as a supplement to your work with clay? If so, describe its use. If not, describe how you gather thoughts and ideas.
FM: I have used sketchbooks as a primary artistic expression throughout my whole career. My sketchbooks and my finished work are almost inseparable. The books are not only a place to work out ideas but are also a language, a vocabulary,
and a necessity. The sketchbooks form the building blocks of my work and are also my artwork as well. I would love to one day have a show that would include my sketchbooks and ceramic work together.
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The audio file for this article was produced by the Ceramic Arts Network staff and not read by the author.
Ceramics Monthly: Have your interests in working with clay evolved? What do you plan to explore next?
Fernando Martinez: I started my clay exploration by way of making wooden pieces first. My main focus for many years was furniture making, sculpture, and painting. I realized what was inspiring me were Japanese wood-fired ceramics and so I began a journey with that aesthetic and firing process. Although I continue to wood-fire my work, in the last year, I have been drawn more and more to gas firing as it allows for greater color variations with underglaze, stains, and oxides. As I move forward, I’m finding my work is moving in multiple directions. Collage is a great source of inspiration and I am particularly interested in the seam and rip capacity of clay. I will be incorporating painterly techniques as I move along with collage as a major pursuit.
CM: What role does tactility play in your work?
FM: Tactility is almost a given in my work. I feel the same way about other people’s work as well. One of the great pleasures I have experienced is visiting the Ippodo Gallery in New York City and being allowed to hold pieces by some of the world’s greatest Japanese ceramic artists. It is one thing to look at a piece of art and then quite another to feel the artist’s intentions and decisions. I hope that people feel this way about my work as well.
CM: Do you maintain a sketchbook for idea generation or as a supplement to your work with clay? If so, describe its use. If not, describe how you gather thoughts and ideas.
FM: I have used sketchbooks as a primary artistic expression throughout my whole career. My sketchbooks and my finished work are almost inseparable. The books are not only a place to work out ideas but are also a language, a vocabulary, and a necessity. The sketchbooks form the building blocks of my work and are also my artwork as well. I would love to one day have a show that would include my sketchbooks and ceramic work together.
Learn more at fernandosartwork.com.
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