Marty Celum Biernbaum

Member since:

Medium: Clay

Biography-Resumé

Working in clay is the most exciting and fulfilling job I could ever imagine possible.  My current body of work is a compilation of over 27 years of constant working, discovering, experimenting and enjoying the endless challenge of expressing myself in clay, while trying to make enough income selling my work to avoid getting a “real” job.

My training and experiences have been wildly erratic as I worked while following a military husband from coast to coast like a gypsy, setting up a new studio and establishing avenues of sales in each location.  The positive energy of many supportive teachers and generous potters I have encountered has kept me inspired.  Classes at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts with Bill Foglia and Valda Cox got me hooked forever on clay.  Dr. John Conrad from Mesa College, San Diego, CA, and Rita Marlier from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, have had profound influences on my work.

Opening an art gallery, managing studios, and participating in art co-ops and outdoor and indoor art shows are some of the ways I have marketed over the years.  I’m an active member of Piedmont Craftsmen, Charleston Crafts, The Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, South Carolina Artisans, and Carolina Designer Craftsmen.

Prior to discovering clay I was an Elementary School teacher.  Hence, one of my favorite jobs is conducting workshops and teaching people of all ages and walks of life about clay.

Today I live in South Carolina with my husband, Chip Biernbaum, and our three infamous cats:  Franklin, Mr. Jerry and his sidekick, Sophie.  Chip alo works in clay and provides endless support and encouragement for all my crazy ideas.  We are currently enjoying being newlyweds, renovating our house and building a studio.

Artist Statement

When I think back over my 25 years of creating art, I smile and wonder whether folks are surprised when I tell them that I’ve fallen in love with two very different forms of artistic expression:  painting and clay.  With both kinds of mediums, I am strongly influenced by nature, my mind being imprinted by wonderful images while kayaking and hiking.  Natural shapes and forms that we see every day and commonly overlook fascinate me, as do the intricate surfaces of many of these forms when examined very closely—these patterns in nature have inspired many of my works.  Living on the beautiful, natural coast of South Carolina has fortunately provided me with many opportunities for observation, as has travel to several natural areas overseas.  But I like to branch out and enjoy artistic challenges, being constantly tempted to try something different.  Consequently, I have ventured into abstract painting, pulling imaginary surfaces and relationships out of my mind and transferring them to canvas.

My acrylic paintings range from fanciful, abstract imagery to realistic representations of organic forms.  Because I enjoy three-dimensional effects, I commonly use thick brush-strokes and occasionally incorporate such embedded materials as gauze and flower petals.

Over the past many years, my clay work has included functional pottery sculpture, and jewelry.  My current pieces reflect nature:  drawing and then meticulously incising images of objects such as leaves and dragonflies into slabs and cut, fold, and twist the clay as new shapes evolve.  I formulate my own glazes—each piece is dipped or airbrushed by 3-5 layers and accented with over-glazes and oxides.  They are then fired multiple times in oxidation to 2200 degrees.

Current Galleries:

Charleston Crafts Gallery, Charleston, SC
Waterfront Gallery, Charleston, SC
Carolina Clay Gallery, Johns Island, SC
Charleston Artist Guild Gallery, Charleston SC
Cone 10 Potters, Charleston, SC
South Carolina Artisans Center, Walterboro, SC
Fish or Cut Bait, Edisto Beach, SC
Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC

Works by Marty Celum Biernbaum