Biography ~ Martin Pierce

I do not recall a time when I was not obsessed with nature. As a young boy I was a poor student, preferring to look out of the classroom window at birds and squirrels than at books. Thankfully my basic education did include a woodworking class where I learned simple carving techniques and began to think and draw 3-dimensionally.

At 16 my father realizing my talents were more practical helped me find a position as an apprentice woodcarver at a furniture restoration company. This was my only formal training, but it taught me to be an efficient sculptor.

Sharing my father’s sense of independence, I started my own business when I was 21 and began sculpting innumerable owls, squirrels and other critters commissioned by local patrons.

I met Anne, my future wife when I was 23 and we traveled to Sussex in southern England where she attended university. The move south was pivotal as it introduced me to a variety of artists, academics and one entomologist. I also began reading fiction and was immersed in the fantasy writings and alternative worlds as seen through the eyes of monsters, hut dwellers and seagulls in books like “Grendel” by John Gardner, the “Titus Groan” trilogy by Mervyn Peake and “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach. This assortment of influences helped my imagination grow and I began sculpting abstract themes and insects, the latter portrayed as larger than life beings to better show their beautiful mechanical elements and texture. These sculptures formed part of an exhibition at the Portal Gallery, London, a gallery known for embracing artists lacking formal training. At this point I sculpted in wood as bronze was unaffordable, beyond my skill set and seemed reserved for better pedigree artists.

The London art scene back in the 1970’s was a place where connections and education still opened doors and finding this stifling Anne and I moved to Los Angeles. To begin with we focused on making 4 furniture collections which incorporated textured plants formed in gesso and small bronze plants for use as cabinet handles.

In 1999 I entered the casting world and began designing and casting functional art aka door hardware in silicon bronze and stainless steel. While my eclectic door hardware continues to occupy much of my creative time it has allowed me to dig deep into lost wax casting. As I now make my own molds and produce my wax replicas, I have greater flexibility to make changes to a piece up to the final stage when it is shelled and cast. The end result is a collection of sculptures on an evolving journey into a fictional world of insects and insectophile humans with the occasional bird acting as observer and judge. These fantasy creatures exist in a world of distorted mangroves, tree bark and mushrooms where texture and contrast are central. I like to group these pieces together to tell a story and am currently sculpting a collection for an insect race where a raven will judge the finalists. As this is a work in progress, I expect the characters and story will take many twists and turns.

To learn more about how I sculpt from the initial concept through to the finished bronze casting visit the Process page.

To understand my painting techniques visit the Painting Process page.