Rising Stars: Meet Aydee Lopez Martinez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aydee Lopez Martinez.

Hi Aydee, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been an artist ever since I can remember. In elementary through high school, I excelled in everything from drawing and painting to ceramics and woodworking. In college, first at Glendale Community and later at Cal State Los Angeles, I fell in love with pottery and ceramic sculpture, oil and watercolor painting. After graduation, I became a regular at Self-Help Graphics in East Los Angeles and learned printmaking and etching. Today, I am a self-taught mosaic artist and teacher as well.

In 2007, I opened my art studio in Covina where I create original art using many of the techniques and mediums I have learned throughout my life. I feel blessed to do what I love every day and to be a working artist in the L. A. area where there is so many opportunities for diverse artists like myself to show, sell and hone our craft.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The struggles have been many, beginning with being one of seven children to immigrant parents from Mexico. Growing up with many siblings was a lot of fun, but we always struggled financially. My parents could not afford to send any of their children to college, so I started working full-time as soon as I graduated from high school. I quickly realized that if I wanted to get ahead, I would need to go to college. I enrolled at East Los Angeles College when I was 20 years old and then transferred to Glendale Community College, going part-time using public transportation while working full-time for Los Angeles County as an Intermediate Typist Clerk. I eventually got promoted, bought a car and then a condo and moved out of my parent’s home when I was 25 years old. When I finally had enough credits to transfer to a university, I applied to UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles. I only got accepted to Cal State LA, which made me very sad at first but it was probably for the best since I would not be able to afford the cost of attending UCLA.

I got married in 1995 and had my daughter in 1998. I was pregnant with my son when I graduated from Cal State LA in 1999. It took me 13 years to finally get my bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. I stayed home with my children for a few years and in 2007 opened my art business. It has been a winding road but made all the more memorable and worthwhile by life’s challenges and surprises, so I have no regrets.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Although I work with many mediums, I am most well-known for my ceramic pottery. I make each piece on the potter’s wheel or I hand-build it, then decorate each one by carving, altering or sculpting. Last is the glazing, either painstakingly brushed on or sprayed and dipped. Each piece is hours and hours of work. Every ceramicist knows that one cannot ever get too attached to any one piece before its final firing because so many things can go wrong; whether it be a bad firing, bad glazes or glaze technique, or one bad color choice can make or break the whole piece. Ceramicists are used to many, many heartbreaks. So after a glaze firing when the kiln is opened and out of 15 pieces, just one perfect bowl or vase or plate comes out from the kiln, I hold it in my hands, turn it over and over and feel the joy as a huge smile forms on my lips. Indescribable joy, absolute fulfillment and pride. It is all worth it.

I think what sets me apart from other potters is that I treat each bowl, plate, vase, mug like my next masterpiece. I am not a production potter. Each piece is a separate work of art that has a dual function; beautiful artistry and functionality all in one.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One surprising thing is that I am an aspiring amateur anthropologist. An important item on my bucket list is to someday participate in an archeological dig. Everywhere I go, I am always on the lookout for old things. My father tells me that he was born in a cave in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico so I dream about one day being able to find that cave and explore it and its surroundings.

Contact Info:

• Website: AydeeArt.com
• Instagram: @aydeeart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063495432420