Martin has always been fascinated by the Japanese idea of ‘beauty in imperfection’ and he takes huge pleasure in exploring the simple vessel and everything that it represents. In his most recent work, Martin takes a nuanced approach to the simple clay forms of jars and bowls as he reflects on what a major cultural change it must have been when we began to store and share food in those simple forms. Other new work grows in geological like layers, sometimes with quartz and precious stone or glass-looking inclusions – overlaid as if by running lava.
“What I am looking for in my work… lies in the essential beauty of individual pieces, which is subjective, difficult to define, control or repeat and has something to do with chance and coincidence.”
