10 Questions with Mikala Martinez
Mikala Clarise Martinez is a painter who lives in Los Angeles, California. She has recently received her B.F.A from Otis College of Art & Design. Her recent achievement was winning 2nd place in the Junior art show after being physically challenged to paint using her non-dominant hand, after breaking her wrist. Martinez started with traditional acrylic paintings but has experimented with mixed media such as fabric, cardboard, adding objects on or around the canvas, and interactive art.
Martinez has been doing local art walks since 2021 and is working hard to expand her small business. She currently teaches art classes for the City of Carson Park, Parks & Recreation, for children ages 7 to 15.
Mikala Martinez - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
Martinez’s work is a mixture of abstraction, as she uses gestures of colour to make up the background, and representation, referring to certain objects or figures in her day-to-day life. She makes figurative abstract paintings primarily on unstretched canvas. She enjoys painting with acrylic on unstretched canvas because it allows her to paint against the hard surface of the wall. Her interest is in taking ordinary subject matters and enlarging their scale. Martinez focuses on using the environment surrounding her space as compositions for her paintings. She lets her intuition guide the colours that are chosen, along with the movements that are made by brush or palette knife. Her inspiration comes directly from her personal archive. They are taken at moments in time that can be viewed as hectic, but to Martinez, it is how her space flows. It is an ongoing process of cleaning, cluttering, creating, and repeating.
Cheeseburger Combo #1, Acrylic and glass bead gel on canvas, 42x46 in, 2023 © Mikala Martinez
INTERVIEW
First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. What inspired you to become an artist?
My parents are the ones who inspired me to be an artist. My dad is a concept designer, and I was about eight years old when he was still in art school. I loved going to his art shows because they were filled with colour and creativity. My mom started her own baby clothing business when I was twelve, so I spent most of my time with her at flea markets where she'd sell her products. Growing up, I found it difficult to talk about my feelings, especially as a teenager. I would shut down, my mind coming to a blank. I used drawing and painting as an outlet to express my inner emotions. There was always a therapeutic aspect to any art I created. When the pandemic hit, I had a lot of time to self-reflect, and I got better at voicing how I felt, rather than bottling it up. Art served its time by being able to speak for me. While I was in art school, I was introduced to a variety of different art styles, and I experimented when I painted.
How would you describe your artistic style in a few words?
Colourful, Resilient, Experimental, and Immersive.
Cheeseburger Combo #2, Acrylic and glass bead gel on canvas, 41x46 in, 2023 © Mikala Martinez
Why do you prefer painting on unstretched canvas, as you mention in your statement? And what is your process like when starting a new painting?
I prefer painting on unstretched canvas for a few reasons. I enjoy the surface I'm painting against, whether it be the wall or the earth beneath my feet, it has a natural texture that the paint on the brush picks up on. I like how the sides of the canvas are torn and allow for movement beyond the edge. For the past three years, the process of starting a new painting has been relatively the same. I have all my materials laid out in front of me, along with the paint, and I pick two to three colours at a time, squeezing the paint tubes all over the canvas. I switch between a brush and a palette knife to start blending the colours, allowing my intuition to guide my hand. I tend to repeat this process two more times with either the same or different colours, until I'm satisfied with how the colour has covered the canvas.
You have a peculiar style and often work with striking colours and colour combinations. What role does intuition play in your choice of colours and brushstrokes?
Intuition plays the role of allowing me to be fully in the moment. I don't like to second-guess the first thought that pops into my head while I'm painting. At the moment, I could be moving too quickly with the colours I choose, and I'll realise it later, or I move calmly and take longer breaks in between brushstrokes. Sometimes my eyes need a break from what I'm working on to be able to think of my next colours.
You focus on enlarging ordinary subjects, creating almost abstract works. What draws you to this approach?
I was inspired by Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans and thought to myself, "I wonder what else could be shown on a large scale as silly as soup." Ironically enough, I'm a Campbell's soup fanatic, so I thought of my second favourite food, cheeseburgers. There was a part of my inner child being healed when I started these Cheeseburgers, and that was one of the reasons I kept making them. I've always been quite messy when I paint, and that's what the process of making these Cheeseburgers is.
Chunky Cheeseburger Combo #4, Acrylic, glass bead gel, light molding paste, clear tar gel on canvas, 39x45 in, 2024 © Mikala Martinez
Krabby Patty Combo #24, Acrylic, glass bead gel, light molding paste, clear tar gel on canvas, 48x60 in, 2024 © Mikala Martinez
How has your experience teaching art classes influenced your own work?
I have the honour of witnessing my students in my classes create art. They're so carefree when their pencil touches the paper. I try my best to encourage them to do what they feel and not look or copy what others are doing. My students, who are seven to nine years old, are never afraid to dive straight into the drawing. They don't have that feeling of self-doubt about whether their drawing will look good or not. I feel that teaching art classes has influenced my work by allowing me to be carefree, like my students.
You've recently experimented with mixed media. What materials have been the most exciting for you?
I'm always eager to experiment with gel mediums such as glass bead gel and clear tar gel. They add so much more texture to my work and give my paintings a three-dimensional effect, as if my cheeseburgers are pouring out of the canvas. I've been wanting to experiment with other foods, such as spaghetti or ice cream, and with those foods, I know I'll be introduced to a whole new world of gel mediums.
How did the challenge of painting with your non-dominant hand affect your perspective as an artist?
I had a really difficult time at first because prior to that, I had spent so much time planning my next four paintings for the semester, and when that all went down the drain, I went into panic mode. I was worried about what I was going to paint for my finals when I couldn't even hold a pencil. After almost two weeks of recovering at home, I forced myself to go to school and attempt a new painting. I had this piece of unstretched canvas that I painted on prior to my broken arm, laid that out on top of a 6-foot table, and started painting. I grabbed whatever paint was near me, some palette knives, and a clear squeeze bottle with paint inside. I was miserable. My whole body was in pain as I walked around the table trying to scrape whatever paint I could on the canvas. I remember being so frustrated with myself, but I kept going. That was the day I experimented with glass bead gel. I couldn't care less about what I had painted and moved on. My aunt told me how much she loved that painting, and as shocked as I was, she was the reason I chose it to be in the Jr. Art Show. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have entered it, and it wouldn't have gotten chosen 2nd place. My jaw dropped when they called my name. I knew I had to ask the juror why they chose my painting. They said it reminded them of being free. I couldn't understand how a painting I put zero effort into could make someone else feel so good. It felt like a slap in the gut. All I could feel when I looked at the painting was suffering, but to them, it was something completely different. I believe everything happens for a reason. I know a part of that experience was the universe telling me to stop overanalysing what I wanted my paintings to signify and start being in the moment, no matter what I'm feeling, because the viewer is going tofeel it in their own way.
Sweetsburger Combo #3, Acrylic, light molding paste, glass bead gel on canvas, 40x46 in, 2023 © Mikala Martinez
Looking ahead, what are your goals for your art in the near future?
A goal of mine is to start producing art like I did in college. I've been letting my day job consume me, and I miss being consumed by my art. Not that every painting I make needs to be a big deal, I know I have ideas that I need to get off my chest. Fortunately, I'll be getting my own studio this summer, and I'm so excited to have my own creative space. I didn't realise how important it is for artists to have a studio to work in, so when that was taken away from me, and it was back to creating in my bedroom, I pretty much lost motivation. Looking back, I think that not having my own studio was also an excuse not to paint. After graduating, I felt overwhelmed with the number of ideas I had for my next painting project, thinking it had to be a revolutionary comeback painting. After a few months of not painting, the urge to paint is growing stronger every day, and my ideas are flowing more naturally, and the thought of painting isn't a chore for me anymore.
And lastly, as we are at the beginning of 2025, what is your biggest goal for this year?
My biggest goal for this year is to continue selling my artwork at trade shows. It was difficult being a vendor while I was in school. It was enough of a workload to have paintings due for classes, so to also have paintings to sell elsewhere was a challenge. The thought of selling my original work scared me, so I painted other things from my childhood that, surprisingly enough, the public was able to relate to. Now, I feel that I'm ready to create some new original cheeseburger paintings and share them. I've painted so many burgers that it's become second nature to paint them, and I have a few fun ideas to incorporate with them.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
