Layers Upon Layers: Mixed Media Art

Artist Profile: Martin Waugh

by Cyndi on March 22nd, 2007

Genesis

Artist: Martin Waugh
Business name: Liquid Sculpture
Location: Portland, Oregon
Website & Blog:
Liquid Sculpture
Martin Waugh

Your photos are amazing, Martin. How do you describe your work?
Part sculpting, part photography. The end result is brightly colored, detailed images of flowing forms. I craft the liquid shapes by carefully controlling the physical properties and positions of drops. I use high-speed photography to capture the resulting figures.

Narcissi

What is your creative process like?
I spend my time in a cycle of serendipity and curiosity. I usually set out to investigate some variation in lighting, or timing, liquid properties, and along the way I find an interesting type of shape. Then I obsess on that and work to best “pose” and stage the subject. I often need to build a new piece of equipment to make it work. I might spend a few weeks on and off trying to perfect the shot. Or, I might get a dozen in one evening that are keepers.I like to have several uninterrupted hours to work at the camera. There are so many things that have to go right, and so many ways for them to go wrong. I need to be able to try and try again. I like working at night, and though I enjoy listening to music, I often forget to turn it on and work in silence.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I have essentially no training in art. I have long enjoyed photography, otherwise, my background has been all technical. But, I want to create aesthetically engaging images. I haven’t used any learned style, I have just developed a technique that produces results that I like.

Jellyfish

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Because I have to make thousands of mistakes and quickly learn from them, the most important tool is immediate feedback. A digital camera provides that. Water is my most important material. It sounds flip to say that, but water has so many unique properties, it really is fundamental to my work.

What inspires you to create?
My main inspiration is the process itself. I love to use my mind and hands and eye. Satisfaction is working hard to craft a solution and end up with a viscerally inviting image. And, it is most fulfilling to see other people enjoy my work.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
Wanting the result.

Impression Glass

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
For me, I think following my curiosity has been the most educational activity.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
The business of art. It’s 10 parts business to one part art.

What’s your favorite book?
I read very little. The last book I read was Shantaram. I was transfixed. 900 pages and I couldn’t put it down.

Nasturtium

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POSTED IN: Artist Profiles, Business tips, Digital Art, Photography