Interview with Voyage ATL
/December 12, 2024
Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Diaz Martinez
Hi Pamela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My mom taught me how to draw when I was around 5 or 6 years old and have loved it ever since. I always knew I would do something creative but wasn’t sure in my formative years what I would pursue. It became clear that I didn’t know how to make money as an artist and would need to secure a teaching job until I acquired business acumen or had the courage to live off of my art. Eventually, poco a poco, I started showing my artwork in clothing boutiques, small arts institutions and later on I began the gallery and museum art path. Since then, my career has taken so many turns that I thought were unique twists. For awhile, I was showing in Hispanic Only shows and institutions. I never thought I would work in fashion under a bespoke shoe designer doing drawings for client projects. I’ve taught almost every age person, due to the need to make money and survive. Recently, I opened my own contemplative art space and am teaching high school again after leaving the community college art education scene.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road but compared to some, it has. I was never homeless, thank God, although I did live on a friend’s couch for a short time after finishing grad school and transitioning into single life after a divorce. That was brutal but necessary.
A big struggle that most artists contend with is that art schools tend to not teach their students how to make money, maintain clients, close deals, maintain records and provenance, so, I had to pick it up along the way. I had not planned on working in fashion, but for me, it was the quickest way to observe and implement how to run a luxury business. It took me 5 years to feel confident on my own.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
If I am known for anything, I am known for making contemporary biblical drawings and paintings about the Holy Spirit and other biblical narratives. To quote a friend, fellow artist and art professor, “tell me what your crazy ass drawings are about?” In my opinion, his comment was the greatest compliment. If his response was less than that, I would not be breaking open people’s expectations of what it means to make Holy, God respectable art. My drawings and paintings tend to be unpredictable, unsettling, provocative, funny, dark, light hearted and stirring. I am only capable of being all those things at once because I rely on God to work with my limitations and failings to produce art above my skill level.
What’s next?
My plans for the future are to go to the Olympics in 2028 if the International Olympic Committee allows art back into the Olympics. I want to show my work on an international stage in art fairs, galleries and art spaces outside of the United States. Hosting more and more people in my own personal art space is a goal as well and I hope to be a part of an artist collective sharing our work with the world. Lastly, I am very hopeful about the future and I believe that my contemporary biblical art is on the brink of explosion. The whole world needs hope and God has given me a rattling message that will linger in people for the better, forever.
Pricing:
Nascent Flesh #1 $1500
Nascent Flesh #3 $1500
Nascent Flesh #17 $1500
