Calling, j.f.m., was inspired by a book by JF Martel entitled Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artiface. I opened a recent exhibition with calling, j.f.m. as a way to introduce a concept that underpins my new work - the earth is your historian. I re-contextualized the material dirt by taking it out of its usual setting and literally framing it out. I presented calling, j.f.m. as a 2D painting, on the wall with the hope that it would call the viewer to ask - Why dirt as a material? Why this dirt? Why framed this way?

The shaping of a vessel, the weaving of fibers and the turning of the earth. Those at the helm at such activities defined ‘maker’ for me as a child. These were the settlers of my hometown, historically known as Winston and Salem. Ideas about makers, their relationship with the land, and the differing characterizations of ‘work’ formed from an agrarian ethos, were illuminated by this place where industries of tobacco and textile dominated the cultural landscape of my youth.

Land, from that day forward, has always been (and I borrow this phrase from Sally Mann), the begetter and existential crisis of my artistic soul. A sense of wonder and mystery is still present in me when I look at a vase expanse of land, a freshly plowed or fallow field, or the crop residue laying under shards of a harvested field. I feel a strong connection to this place of my childhood - the emotional connection is very powerful.

It is my hope that the artifacts that I make with the land from a place that means something, is recognized for its value as a record, a document of one’s story that has been preserved and perpetuates the telling of the story. Not only is every human story valuable, but the telling of stories can give way to shared experiences and become a gateway to build community through recognizing our commonality rather than our differences.

TS Elliot once said that the meaning of a poem exists somewhere between the poem and the reader. The color, texture, smell, and sediment of the GA red clay holds a piece of my life story, taken from an acre of land in North Georgia where I live with my family and work. Though I have only lived here a short time, I am connected to it and calling, j.f.m. is an artifact that I add to my collection to carry my story.

Process:

A bucket of Georgia Red Clay was harvested from an acre of land in North GA. Every southerner knows this clay. The clay is actually classified as a Ultisol - a product of the weathering of minerals in a humid, temperate climate without new soil formation. It gets its color from iron oxide. I took this Georgian red clay, mixed it with water, troweled it into a textile on wood and left it to dry. It is close to the purest form of holding a story I can imagine, with no imagery, just the marks made from my trowel. The sensory component, - the texture, smell and color stirs something in me. Calling, j.f.m. is presented in a rectangle, oriented vertically, and is at a scale that relates to and references the human body. The viewer completes the work.

Resources:

Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice: A Treatise, Critique, and Call to Action (Manifesto) by J.F. Martel (Author)

“I believe that art is inherently spiritual and takes us beyond the pragmatic and calls us to consider the mysteries of the life.

“Art is more than a mere ornament or entertainment, it is a way of leading to what is most profound in us.” -JF Martel.

-JF Martel, Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice

Artifacts, defined:

1. objects made by a human being, typically of cultural or historical interest

2. something observed in a scientific investigation or experiment that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of a preparative or investigative procedure.

-Google’s English dictionary, provided by Oxford Languages.