Article Bold Journey 2024
/
Meet Pamela Diaz Martinez
April 30, 2024
We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Pamela Diaz Martinez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Pamela below.
Pamela, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I quit teaching college and picked up an internship and eventually a job working in fashion. Men’s and women’s bespoke shoes became my creative outlet while getting experience in a field other than contemporary art. Imposter syndrome started with many feelings of not having much to say about art except having a few exhibitions. I felt that my limited experience wasn’t enough for my college students, so I quit.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a West coast, public school girl through and through. I went to a public high school in Arizona and got my Master of Fine Arts degree at Arizona State University. I received my undergraduate degree in education from Northern Arizona University and since then I’ve taught most ages K-12 and college aged students. However, high schoolers have been my favorite for quite some time now. Since 2015 Atlanta, Georgia has been a great home for me personally and is now home to my own contemporary art gallery that is dedicated to spiritual contemplation.
D U N A M I S art space was inspired by the Sistine Chapel, Rothko Chapel and Austin, a chapel by artist Ellsworth Kelly. D U N A M I S art space opened to the public, October of 2023.
Additionally, for the last 10 years I have been making art that was inspired by a small niche of historically religious works of art from the 17th century. The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Baroque master Lorenzo Bernini is my inspirational art grandfather who anchored my own work to art history. Bernini shocked his community with a provocative sculpture of a 16th century, Spanish mystic, Saint Teresa. She is known for her writings about her experience with God and Bernini made it available to the world visually.
Most of my artwork has been dedicated to my personal experience with God that has been explained in two verses of the Bible. Each verse says how the Holy Spirit is a shape shifter using wind and fire to bring people to faith. But, then the Pandemic hit. I had to take a break from my studio work and used drawing for the first time in my life as a healing tool. Once per week I would randomly select verses in the Bible to help myself and others to have faith during a very trying time. This practice changed my drawings forever. Because I could not focus for long periods of time, I made drawings with crayons and Pandemic anxiety. It loosened up my drawing style and I consider them sprints, 15-30 minutes drawings on random sheets of paper that I happened to have around in my studio. No over thinking to produce a work of art, which helped me to abandon pretense. My raw thoughts and emotions are now being captured in the way that I make art more so than before the Pandemic.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be teachable, work hard and be kind.
I believe that the best life on earth is a balance between getting an education, having experiences and devoting oneself to intentional spirituality. A good life requires being teachable, being kind and working hard. But, spirituality (mental health) is just as important if not more important than skills or knowledge. A spiritual set of rules will produce desirable qualities. God is the source of our purpose. Primarily, if you focus on your relationship with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit you will find God’s purpose for your life. It’s not the same as arriving at a purpose with effort and talent. Everyone has a purpose for good, but most people never get to their spiritual purpose.
First of all, if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, ask Him to help you get there. Secondly, ask your friends, teachers, parents, anyone who knows you to tell you what makes you mentally, physically, spiritually unique and then day by day, you can make your way listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance. It takes intentional practice applying practical biblical concepts to your life, but as you try, with consistency over time and complete dedication, you will see God directing your decisions, thoughts and path.
Lastly, accountability in a community is very important to spiritual growth, otherwise, we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are on the right path. A path in life chosen by you is not the same as God’s path for you. Have fun with it too. God is funny.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love to collab with all types of creatives and non-creatives alike. The type of people I want to work with now are people who are passionate about what they do and that have a positive attitude toward life and ideally want to make God visible to a wide audience. Specifically, right now I am looking to work with a musician, rug designer, an embroidery master, an architect, seamstress, furniture designers and more interior designers. I’m also open to anyone who has great ideas. If you are reading this, reach out, let’s work together.
Art In The Time of Corona→
/
Global online exhibition curated by Yessica Torres titled, “Art In The Time of Corona”.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Image above can be purchased at Artsy.net
"SCRIPTURE, AKA PEACE IS A FUZZY BALL"
Jesus in this drawing is sending Judas holy thought balls of love and comfort to prevent him from taking matters into his own hands because of the guilt he probably felt after betraying Jesus, a.k.a. God, for a measly 30 pieces of silver.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
The Dab Art Co. has launched an exclusive and unprecedented art project called ART IN THE TIME OF CORONA™. This 3 year long comprehensive project includes an ongoing online exhibition, a full color publication of all selected works (published yearly), a multi-gallery international exhibition and a documentary film on the first year of the project (the film will be screened in Los Angeles).
Director and curator in chief Yessíca Torres wrote and released an essay about the importance of art and artists in a turbulent time. For almost 10 years Yessíca’s passion for contemporary art and commitment to the exploration of the artist process have been reflected in her gallery program, taking a progressive and in some ways rebellious approach to art exhibitions. Her mission with ART IN THE TIME OF CORONA™ proposes an unconventional solution to keeping contemporary art relevant, propelling the art experience forward and promoting the valuable role artists will play in this time of global crisis.
The goal of this innovative project is to record and exhibit (in real time) defining artwork created during civil uncertainty. Her hope is to unite viewers and help them find the sanctity, comfort and inspiration needed to heal a world in turmoil.
We are hopeful as a company and as members of our respective communities, that when current mandates and quarantines are lifted, our resilience as artists will be the foundation for social unity.
This project consists of 3 phases and will be ongoing from 2020 thru 2023.
PHASE 3
Once the online exhibit concludes in December, the Dab Art Co. curators will collectively make selections for a multi gallery 8 week exhibition to be held simultaneously in 3 cities at all the Dab Art Co. Galleries; Los Angeles, Ventura and Mexico City. Our gallery exhibitions for VOL.3 (Year 3) will begin in May 2022.
The Dab Art Co. film production team has already started working on the Year 3 documentary film accompanying this project. We will be asking for artist participation, gathering footage and stories as the year progresses. Dab Art Co. is committed to completing this art documentary in time hold a special screening in March when the gallery exhibits are on display. The debut screening will be an event open to public and held in Los Angeles, California.
SHOUTOUT ATLANTA
/
Meet
Pamela Diaz Martinez:
artist, art instructor
We had the good fortune of connecting with Pamela Diaz Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Pamela, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
It’s very acceptable and often encouraged to get out of art/grad school and not get a job, live off parents and friends or to have this vagabond, abstract personae-lifestyle. It is a luxury for only a certain few. I believe an artist should make money first and then make art.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I never expected a few things to happen in my career…
1. I never thought that I would be making biblical art, and
2. That I would have taken a detour from being a studio artist to work in fashion.
My Artwork
My work is about the least known person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The Father and Son get a lot of exposure and are spoken about a lot, however, I find the Holy Spirit to be the most personal and yet esoteric part of the Trinity. In my mind He/She is the greatest super hero. During biblical times the Holy Spirit took the form of wind and fire while entering a room in Jerusalem, and currently still works in similar ways.
The Detour
In fact, right out of grad school, my ambitions were to make art and keep showing my work in galleries and new places, like pop ups and such.
However, my life took a different turn than expected. My marriage shattered while finishing my MFA, I moved to Laguna Beach to recover and start a new life with art at the center. Which lead me to working with a luxury shoe designer as a Design Assistant. It was a game changer for me. Learning how to design for very discerning men at a high price point completely changed how I see and make art now. It changed how I handle business and clients and how I start a deal and close one. I learned how to deal with money, pricing and witnessed just about everything I needed to know about running a business. It truly changed my art life.
Was it easy? It was excruciating. Studio art is usually self-focused expression, a luxury brand is the designer’s personal expression, however, ultimately to please a client. My ego took a major beating, but it was for the better. I had to learn how to work with what was best for the client rather than what I thought was cool or interesting.
How did I overcome the challenges?
I had to be willing to hear hard truths about myself, my ability to design for a client, and I had to be willing to revise until I was blue in the face and then some.
What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
That I will never make anything that will have the appeal, power or beauty of a puppy or a sunset and my best ideas come from God. Secondly, I would highly suggest taking a career detour, even if it seems inconvenient. My experience working in fashion was like getting a real-world business degree which I have found has only helped me in the long run with my studio practice. Lastly, take viable opportunities that present themselves, when they present themselves and learn from them, even if they seem hard or even boring.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One day in Atlanta I would start the day with an early morning 3 mile hike at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Cochran Shoals Trail. Followed up by mid-morning breakfast on the patio at Good Kitchen + Market for beautifully plated scrambled eggs, potato hash and chicken sausage. As for the beverage selection, I would suggest sparkling water and an incredibly decadent iced Honey, Orange Latte. Can’t have too many drinks.
After our delicious breakfast, we would head to Ponce City Market; sit on the lawn people watching and when our eyes have been fully saturated, we would walk to the top floor to buy art from local artists out of an old-fashioned cigarette machine. Next, a quick contemplative trip to The High Museum of Art to see the Contemporary Collection and marvel at the architecture.
Then, a little boutique shopping at Sid and Ann Mashburn local ateliers with an easy stroll to JCT kitchen to eat a late lunch/early dinner at the outside bar/patio to watch the graffiti’d trains head off into the sunset. Shortly thereafter, we would head to the Goat Farm to tour artist studios and watch performance art outside under the stars. Lastly, late night Latin Dancing at El Super Pan and a break mid evening to eat their Chocolate chunk, spicy chili cookies to sustain our movement momentum.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
God, Dad and Mom as a single entity, and my sisters have been the most important catalysts in my life. I have had so much support from my entire community; art community and amazing friends. Ultimately, the bible has transformed my life plus my work and grad school profs Henry Leo Schoebel, Anthony Pessler and Curator, Carl Berg have helped shape my voice and approach to art making.
Website: Pameladiazmartinez.com
Instagram: pameladiazmartinez
Twitter: postpostmoderna
Facebook: pamela diaz martinez
Image Credits
Mitchell Griest: photo of me in front of photos and closeup photo of me with glasses Ben Steele: photo of me sitting on a chair with my photographer Michael Reese Michael Reese: photo Detail of Nascent Totem, Observed and Recorded Permutation of The Holy Spirit XV Vern Breitenbucher: photos of pastel drawings titled: Observed and Recorded Permutation of The Holy Spirit XI, X
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta.com is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.