I have an interview in number 61 of Tattoo Life, an Italian tattoo magazine.
It's my very first interview in print! And check out THAT on the cover!
Scroll down to read the transcribed interview. I'm especially a fan of the first paragraph...
Better scans coming soon...
Who's Who: Sara Antoinette Martin
By Margherita Baleni
Welcome aboard: Sara's imaginary is ready to fly!
An eclectic american artist, versatile and with thousands of artistic sides, Sara Antoinette loves to play with her imaginary, botanical illustrations, religious icons and alchemic symbols all end up in her hat. You want to see what comes out! Flip through these pages and you will be conquered by her fun and original creations on canvas... but not only.
Your influences range from pop to rock, to tattoos, and what else?
I take a lot of influence from folk art (especially mexican folk art), Byzantine icons, and most recently Dutch paintings from the Renaissance. I love botanical illustrations. I'm also really into "symbols" - elements used by the free masons, old alchemy and occult images, and anything else I think look interesting. I like to mix them up and see what comes out. I almost never use a symbol in its traditional form so it takes on a different meaning.
How do you create your works? Do you think pictorial 'collage' is the right definition?
Yeah most people don't realize it , but my work is actually collage. When I start a new paintings, I will make a finished sketch, scan it into the computer and break apart the elements that I want to paint separately. Then I transfer it to Strathmore 500 paper and paint all the elements separately. I will collage it all back together on a piece of wooden panel and add all the patterns and other embellishments.
Has tattoo art had must influence on your work?
Yes. I really love the look of traditional tattoo art. The way the designs are super flat and graphic. Sometimes I even reference the art on my skin to see how something is rendered!
And do you have any tattoos?
Yes I have a few on my arms and chest. I have a big one that covers most of my thigh done by Eli Quinters. Its a squid versus a whale under a ship in a thunderstorm. Epic.
Has your style always been like this, or has it gone through an aesthetic or conceptual development?
I am always pushing myself to get better at painting and drawing. I've found myself rendering things more realistically with each painting and I get better at line work with each drawing.
How important is femininity to you and how much does it appear in your work?
Femininity is very important. All of my paintings have an element of femininity, I am a girl after all... I see a lot of female artists today over sexualize childlike waifs and call them empowered with expressing sexuality. I want to paint my ladies with ugly humanity and make it pretty. They are the survivors within us, bearing themselves to the world and sharing their vulnerability.
You have already participated at various artistic and editorial projects. Which were the most important?
They are all important. I try to make each project count, taking one step further until I 'make it'. One of the most importatn would probably be the Chupacabra toy I made with Kidrobot.
Can you describe your picture apathy? Can you describe its symbolic aspects?
My paintings are ment to be open for interpretation. I like to mix up symbols to create new meaning and illustrate and emotion. Sometime I just have 'leftovers' and I'll put them together for purely aestetic reasons. Apathy is proudly indifferent. Keep watch and feel nothing. Detachment is the key to happiness.
Would you like to add anything else for our readers?
I'm in a big deal group show coming up at the Last Rites Gallery in NYC called New Breed, which I am pretty excited about. It you like my work, please find me on the internet! I have plenty of prints available in my webstore.
Here is the new painting I just finished for Art Basel!
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