Artist of the Month
February 2019
Dylan Martinez
Discovering glassblowing while earning his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Dylan Martinez went on to earn his MFA in glass in 2017 at Ball State University. He works out of his glass studio in White Salmon, Washington, near his home in Hood River, Oregon. His artwork has earned several awards of recognition and has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally. Martinez is represented by Echt Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
H2O/Si02 Water Bags; approximately 12 to 17 inches high x 5 to 6 inches wide; hollow and solid sculpted glass
Mach 3, 16.5 x 16 x 6 inches; glass
H2O/Si02 Water Bags; approximately 12 to 17 inches high x 5 to 6 inches wide; hollow and solid sculpted glass
Surge 2, 9 x 9 x 24 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass
H2O/Si02 Water Bags; approximately 12 to 17 inches high x 5 to 6 inches wide; hollow and solid sculpted glass
Borealis; 15.5 x 22.5 x 11 inches; cut and polished glass
Borealis (side view); 15.5 x 22.5 x 11 inches; cut and polished glass
Dylan Martinez
About Dylan Martinez
Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, Dylan Martinez graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2008 with a degree in science. However, during his junior year, he happened stopped in the university's glassblowing studio. “I was really struck by the process and all the equipment and the heat that it took to shape [glass],” he says. “So I tried it out, and it really resonated with me, both in the way that you move the material and how it seemed to react to a lot of the physical forces that I’d been studying in physics and chemistry and geology.”
His practice has grown from glassware and vases, which he mastered while apprenticing under Sam Stang of Augusta Glass Studio from 2010 to 2012, to sculpture and installation. The transition stems partly from his MFA studies at Ball State University, where he graduated in July of 2017. He works out of his glass studio in White Salmon, Washington, near his home in Hood River, Oregon. His artwork has earned several awards of recognition and has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally.
His H20/Si02 series of blown and solid sculpted glass in the shape of water filled plastic bags examines the boundaries of human perception by manipulating light and space within the optical properties of glass. Martinez sculpts the solid glass or “water” that appears within each bag. Next, he adds a blown bubble to the top which is then smoothed out before he begins to hand sculpt each fold and wrinkle. Once complete, the sculpture is placed in an annealing oven at 950° F and allowed to cool for 120 hours.
Through these works, Martinez creates scenarios that obscure the viewer’s interpretation of reality and illusion. His curiosity in this subject matter is sparked by the fact that he was born red-green colorblind. This has presented Martinez an alternative way of seeing, and encourages his fascination with obscuring common perception in his glassblown works.
“The trapped movement of the rising bubbles and the gesture of the forms convince the eye that the sculptures are just as they seem,” says Martinez. “What is fascinating is that our desires often override our true perception of reality and you believe what you think is visible as the truth.”
His work has been included in recent exhibitions including “Autumnal Group Exhibition”at Lyons Weir Gallery, New York, NY (2018); “Winter 18/19 Group Show”at Galerie Palü, Pontresina, Switzerland (2018); “Competition -35” at Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy (2018); “101 Bowls”at Osher Gallery, American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN (2018); and in a solo exhibition at Echt Gallery in July 2018. Martinez is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Enrico Bersellini Award, Miano Vetro -35, Milan, Italy (2018); and the Stanislav Libensky Award, Prague, Czech Republic (2017). His work has been included in several notable publications including American Craft Magazine (2017) and Aesthetica Magazine (2017).
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Echt Gallery, Chicago, IL, for providing the materials for the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
