Jan 26, 2016
So this is my first appearance in a Russian publication, Seasons Magazine — but not the first time I’ve shared article space with Alasdair Thomson.
The article is Titled “Pygmalion,” and I understand that it is featuring the work of three contemporary stone sculptors in the context of the current design trend toward marble. Sadly, I can’t read it, of course, but the pictures sure are pretty — thanks to Geoff Graham & Alain Hain.
Follow this link to view the full PDF of the story from Seasons Magazine.
Dec 16, 2015
We Both Wear Pants, marble, 43 x 36 x 4 in.
This piece is both portrait and admission.
It comes from the same place as a series of pieces I began years ago. Yours, Mine & Ours, was my attempt to visually describe the unique personalities that make up my family. My wife is the smooth, folded bath towel to my rumpled heap of terry cloth. Another piece, Shed, focused on the business casual work attire donned by my wife on a daily basis.
This recent piece goes much farther in being honest about a fairly large aspect of our lives: work. The smooth, satin, carefully folded material on the slacks-specific clothes hanger are in stark contrast to my rough and rumpled work pants which, when not in use, are usually found slung on a hook in a locker with the work belt still in the belt loops. This pretty well describes our unique work situations.
The fact that my wife’s stable career has allowed me to develop in a much less structured way as an independent artist is pretty much constantly on my mind. While I have been extremely fortunate, having received a degree of critical acclaim and financial success that I never would have expected, none of these achievements have represented anything that approaching riches. I grew up in a household where my father was the primary “bread winner” and my mother took care of most everything else.[nggallery id=73]
We Both Wear Pants, marble, 43 x 36 x 4 in.
I must admit that I feel shame and a sense of personal failure that I have not even come close to reaching the point where I could say to my wife: “Hey, I’ve got this. You don’t need to work to support this family.” She wouldn’t want to stop working if she could; she loves what she does, however, I would like to be able to give her that option. At present, I cannot do that. While we might earn approximately the same number of dollars per year– hers come on a consistent basis and with health insurance and other benefits that my sporadic, commission-based, freelance, sub-contractor income completely lacks.
Like the stone itself, relationships can be hard, and require a lot of work. They are both enduring and fragile at the same time. And they are worth the effort. Individuals are often dissimilar, though they work.
We Both Wear Pants, marble, 43 x 36 x 4 in.
Jokes and comments are often made regarding who wears the pants in a given relationship. Many people have a this idea that being a stone carver is a very “macho” endeavor, but from my perspective, not really. First off, there are fair few extremely successful female stone sculptors out there. Secondly, there isn’t anything much more traditionally masculine than being able to fully financially support one’s own family . . . So, I can’t really agree with the stereotype. I’m not being overly modest. I love the tradition and physicality of the work I do, and I think that I can make some neat stuff. I am a handy and all. However, if one was going to ask who wears the pants in our family– well, it certainly wouldn’t be me alone.
In our case, I’d say that I have received far more of the benefit from our work together than she. Her stability, organization, reliability, and care have allowed me to have a much more chaotic, irresponsible and unstable career path than the average person. I’m the dirty laundry. I’m very thankful to have been able to hang my rumpled, coarseness next to her smooth, silkiness for many years now, and hopefully for many more.
We Both Wear Pants, marble, 43 x 36 x 4 in.
Nov 5, 2015
Houston Press
November 5, 2015
By Phaedra Cook
Anthony Bourdain is in Houston for a brief series of events called The Balvenie Rare Craft Collection. About 800 lucky Houstonians were able to score a spot to hear Bourdain speak and taste some of The Balvenie’s whiskys. It’s not his first time in Houston, nor will it be his last. The author and former chef will be returning soon to film an episode of his CNN series Parts Unknown. Bourdain warns that it’s likely that the episode won’t please everyone. “Every time I do something in Houston, people say, ‘That’s not my Houston.’ Well, that’s not what we do. We don’t do Top 10 lists”
Besides a relatively newfound appreciation of the more nuanced aspects of whisky, what attracted Bourdain to the events is the theme of showcasing detailed, time-consuming craftsmanship. It’s not just about The Balvenie’s work, but that of craftspeople who produce other products with a great deal of care. These people have preserved the old way of making things without concessions for efficiency or mass production. Bourdain selected each person who is showcased as part of the Rare Craft Collection.
About the selection process, he said, “I was presented with files and materials to choose from and look at. I met a lot of people. Of many — all of whom were deserving — some were chosen. I think you can see my personal prejudices, enthusiasms, passions, likes and dislikes are reflected in who is in this collection. I like people who work with their hands. I like people who work with iron and metal. I have a passion for bookmakers and the printed word. I consider myself a patriot, so I like to see a watchmaker who makes watches in America and not Switzerland. All of these people deserve to be celebrated.” . . .
. . . Of course, the whisky wasn’t the only extraordinary thing on display. The artisans had booths at the event with their own tools and examples of their work. Sebastian Martorana of Baltimore makes sculptures and architectural features, like carved lettering, of marble reclaimed from demolished buildings. His artistic works have a dose of humor about them, like the Super Mario statue that was on display at The Balvenie Rare Craft Collection event.
Follow this link to read the full article on The Houston Press.
Oct 7, 2015
Forbes
October 7, 2015
By Hunter Atkins
News of Anthony Bourdain’s partnership with The Balvenie Single Malt Whisky surprised diehard fans. Although Bourdain (author of Kitchen Confidential, star of CNN’s “Parts Unknown” and food media hero) has departed from his too-cool, hell-bent, anti-commercial persona in recent years, he had never endorsed a product.
Yet nestled into a former warehouse in New York City’s Midtown-West neighborhood on Monday, Bourdain debuted The Balvenie 2015 Rare Craft Collection, his curated traveling exhibition (open until October 8 at Hudson Mercantile, 500 W. 36th Street) featuring original pieces and work stations from some of America’s finest craftspeople. The event promoted “Raw Craft,” The Balvenie’s online video series where Bourdain travels America to meet artisans. Once a rebellious whistleblower leading a veritable coup on mainstream food media, Bourdain toured the exquisite crafts displays, glad-handed with media and posed beside visitors for dozens of photos, wearing a noticeably pained but professional smile. . . .
Sebastian Martorana, sculptor, Maryland: From a passion born while studying the artistic masterpieces of Florence, Italy, Sebastian Martorana approaches his stonework as interplay between the persons, environs, and material objects shaping our lives, working from his studio at the Hilgartner Natural Stone Company, America’s oldest operational stone company. The series Sebastian brings to the Collection centers on a number of his own work gloves, and revolves around a recurring discussion regarding the relationship between art and craft, namely, the degree to which the “Hand of the Artist” is or is not present in the finished piece of work.
Follow this link to read the full article on Forbes.
Jun 18, 2015
BmoreArt
June 18, 2015
By Cara Ober
It’s rare to find a contemporary sculptor skilled in the ancient craft of carving marble. It’s even more rare to find one in Baltimore. This is one of the reasons that Sebastian Martorana’s marble towels, which appear pliable enough to pass for the real thing, hang on the walls of the Walters Art Gallery in Rinehart’s Studio: Rough Stone to Living Marble. Despite living centuries apart, both sculptors followed similar paths in learning their craft and the exhibit is an opportunity to appreciate their similarities and differences, and to understand Rinehart’s legacy in Baltimore.
Although he is now based in Baltimore, Sebastian Martorana grew up in Manassas, VA and received his BFA in illustration from Syracuse University. He also studied sculpture in college and included a semester in Italy. After graduation, he became a full-time apprentice in a stone shop outside of Washington, D.C. before coming to Baltimore to earn his MFA at the MICA’s Rinehart School of Sculpture, founded by the estate of William Henry Rinehart . . .
Please follow this link to read the full article at BmoreArt.
