Erica Martin Los Angeles CA Age 64
What keeps you excited in the studio? The chance for the muse to grace me with an idea.
Looking back at your trajectory as an artist, how would you say your work has developed? From mentors and community, from reading and looking, from age and mistakes and wonder, I’ve developed richer thoughts to express.
What role do you think the artist has in today’s society? A mirror, a tutor, a reminder, a can opener.
What’s the most important advice you could give to an aspiring artist? Keep doing what you want to express, do it over and over and over, and then do the next thing.
Does age matter in art? Why or why not? Yes, or maybe not, but hoping age makes me see more clearly with the mind’s eye even as the physical begins to blur.
What can we look forward to from you next? Disruption, rage, love, beauty, and maybe a laugh.
Is there anything else you would like to share about being an artist later in life? Dorothea Lange once said she only wanted time and freedom, and I finally have some of that. And there’s so much to draw from, from a life of observation. I can see the intersecting lines more clearly, where all the things I’ve learned are speaking at once, but in harmony.
@EricaKellyMartin http://ericakellymartin.com
Dance in Sunshine 6/2022