Making of Katydid

The latest insect in Martin Pierce’s collection of bronze insects and humanoid sculptures is complete. From design to mold and now to bronze, the Katydid, a central figure in Martin’s fictional world is being released as a limited edition of 30 pieces.

The story of this fictional world has evolved, and we now discover that this realm was named Katydom after the Katydids who were the original cultural custodians of this new society.

We discover that Katydids began the insect race, a competition that is central to the inhabitants of Katydom and that is held each year. Together they drafted the rules of the insect race, central to which is the rule prohibiting flying. With their long legs and great stride, you might incorrectly believe that the race favors the Katydid competitor but while their limbs have length, they lack strength and are slow moving competitors.

 The Katydid is more than an agile long-legged creature and has over time become the trusted custodian of all insect folk lore whether this be told pictorially or by writing. Much of the folklore is recorded as writing and symbols on the wings of many Katydid elders.

As the story develops so does the inspiration for new pieces for the collection. Currently Martin’s is designing a large Katydid wing with small illustrations of the landscape and inhabitants of Katydom.

 Video Announcement

“The Making of Katydid” is also the title of Maria Ramirez-Adam’s recent video that can be streamed online. With acumen Maria, in this short but detailed work has captured the progression of this piece from design to mold to sculpture. Her editorial skills allow us to clearly understand how and why Katydid’s wings are welded to the body and how the body of the insect is hollow cast. The film ends with clips of the hot patina process, and we see how the brown translucent pigment is applied and how the sculpture is then finished with hot wax which is burnished when cool.

While the content of the film is engaging its ability to captivate the viewer owes more to Maria’s skill as a perceptive film maker and to the fabulous audio quality captured by Craig Parker Adams, Winslow Ct. Studio

Stay Tuned for the Sequel

A short feature video is currently in post production and when released we will learn how Katydom was created and the roles played by it’s characters.

Maria Ramirez-Adams is a Los Angeles based videographer and artist and her work covers many hip aspects of local culture from reels showing the flare of local Pachucos and Pachuca to fascinating clips of jets arriving and leaving LAX.

Discussion about learning art techniques

We are pleased to share a recent interview between Martin Pierce and Aaron Miller at Canvas Rebel.

Aaron structured the interview around 3 areas: learning and developing skills, pivotal moments in Martin’s career and unlearning habits or traits.

These questions allowed Martin to take a step back and look at his life in a more analytical way and helped prevent the interview from becoming cliched.  My role as ghost writer was to articulate this journey in a clear but expressive way. Our creative friend, Maria Ramirez Adams photographed Martin and several of his works at his studio and the framing of these shots gave the piece color and context.

The article can be read in full at Canvas Rebel’s site and the quotes below are intended as a primer.

Photograph Courtesy of Maria Ramirez Adams

Learning to unlearn

“As an apprentice wood carver, I learned to carve quickly and precisely, skills that made me a useful employee but also a prolific artist. I have had to learn to create with purpose and to understand that if my art is channeled into a business, I am not an untethered free spirit but must consider why one design versus another is worth making”

Learning skills

“The learning curve has been long … I was always interested in nature and enjoyed physical work but being dyslexic, I found studying a real pain. My school had 3 good courses, art, woodworking and metal work. I was drawn to woodworking and began carving at 12. I don’t think it makes sense to look back and over analyze wrong turns or wish you had done things differently.”

Current Focus

“Is the insect story I am creating in bronze and steel, and this is where I have a lot of fun. The plot line involves small insect loving humanoids who co-exist with large insects and together build houses and even compete in the annual insect race.”

Photograph Courtesy of Maria Ramirez Adams