Marty Fielding

FAVORITE BEVERAGE RECIPE

Hemingway Daquiri
(revised for maximum grapefruit punch) 

  •  2oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice 

  • Juice of ½ a lime 

  • ¼ oz simple syrup 

  • 2 oz white rum 

  • Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and float of dark rum 

 One of my favorite things about living in Florida is that we have a large grapefruit tree in our front yard. Having lived most of my life further north, the fact that citrus grows here feels magic. Starting at the end of November, we have a steady supply of grapefruit through mid-March when the blooms for next year’s fruit set on the tree. I’m happy to report that grapefruit is also an excellent complement to bourbon and gin, is delicious on its own, and makes excellent sorbet.  

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

Marty Fielding became captivated by clay as an anthropology major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He continued his study of ceramics as a teaching assistant at Penland School of Crafts. Fielding worked for decade as a studio potter prior to earning an M.F.A. from the University of Florida. 

Fielding’s work has been included in invitational and juried exhibitions locally, nationally and internationally such as Strictly Functional and The Zanesville Prize. 

Fielding teaches at Florida State University. His teaching experience includes SUNY New Paltz, Middlebury College and the University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy as well as community studios including Frog Hollow in Middlebury, Vermont where he was Resident Potter. He has taught workshops including Penland, UMass Dartmouth, and Truro Center for the Arts on Cape Cod. 

 His work and writing are published in numerous books and periodicals including the recently published Creative Pottery by Deb Schwartzkopf, Low Fire Soda by Justin Rothshank, and Fielding’s article, Contextualizing Ceramic Color in Ceramics Monthly. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

I seek harmony in my surroundings, moments of respite from the rush and concerns of daily life. I find a sense of calm in the emotion expressed in a song, muted colors in nature and art, and drinking coffee from a handmade cup. The synthesis of my research in post-modern architecture, abstract painting, and experimental music culminates in my utilitarian pottery. Each of these influences contain the element of abstraction, an austerity and restraint in form, and an intentional trajectory for moving the body, eye, or psyche through space. Grounded architecturally inspired forms communicate stability, while cantilevered components act as a counterpoint to their mass. Visual chords of color establish a harmonized background. Architectural features punctuated with vivid color conduct the viewer’s eye around the piece and settle into a mellow mid-tempo beat.  

The functional parameters of the vessel allow me to achieve two important goals: offering individuals an interactive experience through use, and questioning the aesthetic conventions of the archetypal pot within the framework of utility. A surprising rendition of a familiar pot strikes the viewer with a feeling of discovery, enticing a closer investigation through sight, touch, and use.  

Geometric forms combined with painted color become utilitarian 3-D Color Field paintings. Vessels and groupings reference skyline and double as musical phrasing or waveforms of sound. Both architects and potters are fundamentally engaged in designing functional space. Architecture holds people; people hold pottery. Like the sentiment in a song, I instill calmness in my vessels to be experienced through use and contemplation within people’s hands and homes.  

Website: www.martyfielding.com 
Instagram: @fieldingform