Studio visit: visual artist Fabiola Martinez
What does it mean to be multicultural? When you share your history, your roots, that is what makes a community rich. - FM
Fabiola Martinez may be of petite stature but she packs some serious creative punch. She is talented, ambitious and can produce prodigious amounts of work in a short amount of time. Fabiola grew up in Mexico and moved to Canada eight years ago which is when she started painting seriously. Expertly weaving influences of her Mexican roots with the inspiration she finds in her new home in Canada, she creates a unique meld of the two. The colourful pallet and elegant lines of her paintings evoke space and calm and make you want to just pause and let the image soak in. Fabi’s work may be young in years but the creative juices are flowing strong.
A mutual friend put me in touch with Fabi after hearing about CreatedHere and I have since made a new friend. We brought the whole kit and kaboodle to visit her studio, my two girls as well as my mom and aunt. Fabi said to bring the girls along, that her boys hang out with her in the studio often. It’s nice when someone knows the craziness of kids and welcomes it anyway. When we arrived the Isaiah (6) was drawing and Elijah (4) was painting, both absorbed in their work. “Isaiah is a bit cranky, he stayed up too late last night drawing”, said Fabi. One might speculate that one or both might follow in his mother’s footsteps and become an artist as well. Considering how many of their works grace the walls of their home (along with Fabi’s of course), I’d say they are already artists! We put an apron on Sophie and set her up with paper and paint beside Elijah before beginning our chat.
Fabi’s personality is as vibrant and warm as her paintings. It was a pleasure to listen as she talked animatedly about her passion for paint and the meaning behind her work. She was very open and honest, even getting emotional as she described the touching story behind a piece from a series she did about her mother’s difficult childhood For Fabi, creating is a very personal act, where emotion and memories find a context and purpose using colour and texture. As an artist she is always pushing herself to develop her technical skills and to explore new concepts. Her bodies of work show an interesting range of content; autumn in New Brunswick, an intimate series of portraits of her mother as a child, a study of the colour turquoise, a commissioned series depicting the history of Canaport LNG in Saint John, New Brunswick... I am excited to see what she comes up with next!
When people ask you what you do, what do you say?
I am a visual artist and art instructor, and also I am a wife and the proud mother of two beautiful boys.
Which mediums do you work with?
I love to experiment and work with different mediums. I enjoy watercolours for the peaceful connexion I find with water. I let the water do its own work and it makes me feel like I am just a guide. The beauty of mixed media is that it gives me the freedom to create a composition with objects that have history. My favourite medium would be oil because I can see myself developing my technique to higher levels. I am now experimenting with cochineal "Grana Cochinilla" which is becoming a very unique technique for me. Cochineal is a traditional way to apply colour derived from an insect found primarily in Central America.
Where did you get your experience/training, are you self-taught?
I am self-taught artist but being trained as an architect has helped me to learn about design principles, colours and dimension.
How did you come to be an artist here in Canada?
I painted as a hobby when I was in Mexico. I used to work as an architect for the government, and would paint in my free time to relax. I realized that the passion I felt for painting was not the same that I felt about my job. I decided that I needed to travel. There was always something about Canada that spoke to me, it was like my soul was meant to be here. If ever I saw a picture, or a landscape that spoke to me, I would find out it was of Canada! There are so many beautiful things here, the maple trees, the landscape in the fall, the Northern lights, the Rocky Mountains... So I left my job, took control of my life and traveled to Canada. I got a job working on a farm in BC, cleaning and feeding the horses, where I stayed for over a year. I also decided I would paint. It was a really inspirational time for me. Sometimes you live your life day by day like a machine, but during this time I had some time to be with my spirit. I was away from my family, my culture, even my language. This was where I needed to be for that time, just to focus on me. While I was there I had the opportunity to travel; to Yukon, and to Toronto. When I was ready to come back to Mexico, I met my husband! He kept talking to me about this beautiful place in Atlantic Canada, the city of Saint John. Finally I came to see for myself and I fell in love with the city and the people. I just love the architecture, the identity of the place. I am happy to establish myself here as an artist.
What does your studio space mean to you?
My studio is my cocoon where creativity, experiments, excitements and frustrations happen.
It’s the space where I can be working and having the lovely company of my two boys while they draw, throw paint or just play with paper, especially in the winter time.
It is also the place where I can share with younger artists some of my experience as an artist and it then becomes a team effort where we learn from each other. My studio is definitely the place where experimenting, learning and sharing are the principal values.
Tell me more about the traditional paint you are working with, cochineal:
I have an uncle in Mexico whose job was to procure the cochineal, a type of traditional dye. When I first came to Canada and started painting he wanted to give me some, saying that artists were using it in different way and maybe I could do something with it? I thought no, it’s just one colour and I’m working on my oils and I wanted to get better at that. Just this year I have started feeling that desire to connect with my roots because in the end that is who you are as a person. It came to me in a spiritual and sort of magical way. So I went to the cochineal, did some research and started experimenting and having fun with it. It gave me an opportunity to create more natural compositions, mostly abstract, which gave me a connection with my ancestors. Since it’s a natural dye I want to add natural elements to it, like wood and sand, but nothing artificial. It’s like giving back to the earth. Working with this pigment is taking me back to that natural connection that I was missing.
You love the colour turquoise and have used it frequently. Why do you love this colour?
I think it’s just a part of my Mexican art, my Mexican pride. It brings a nice calmness to the warm bright oranges and reds. It keeps me connected with my warm Caribbean. I love to go to Mexico and go to the beach. When I paint scenes of Canada, I like to bring that colour here. That’s me, that’s the connection. We have turquoise here, you just have to look for it. I love to see the turquoise in the sky, in the buildings. For example, the church tower uptown Saint John is turquoise. You can find the turquoise here in the water, but it’s darker. It makes me feel like I don’t need to go to Mexico to get that peace, because I can find it here. Turquoise is my favourite colour.
You use the letters FAHR as your branding and to sign your paintings, what do they mean?
They are initials for my name; my friends in university used to call me “Fah” (because “Fabi” was not short enough) and the “R” stands for Rodriguez which is my mother’s last name. She was always so supportive of me. There you go, FAHR.
Do you have a motto that you live by?
Keep learning, experimenting and sharing.
Thank you Fabi for a lovely interview!
Find out more about Fabiola on her website - http://www.fahrfineart.com/