Scrambled Eggs Interview Series: Brian Martinez

A man in shorts and a t-shirt stands in a small room fastening an array of artworks on paper to the wall. Most of the works depict faces. Stars have been painted on the wall and he fixes the sheets of paper over them. — Brian Martinez preparing for his *Prelims* exhibition

Interview with Brian Martinez

By Emmanuel Muñoz

The Scrambled Eggs Interview Series is a six-part series of interviews with six emerging Las Vegas artists who recently had solo exhibitions at Scrambled Eggs Gallery. Each artist was interviewed by Emmanuel Muñoz, creator of, and curator at, Scrambled Eggs Gallery. This final interview in the series was conducted with Brian Martinez, whose Prelims was on view from April 3rd through April 10th, 2022.

EM: Who is Brian Martinez?

BM: Only child of Maria and Gregorio Martinez. Born in Anaheim, California and moved in second grade to East Las Vegas. Always was a nerdy kid growing up; at one point I was in band and orchestra at the same time. I always have had an urge for creative expression and found an outlet in visual art.

EM: What is your favorite memory with art?

BM: One time in a painting class at CSN I painted some Converse for a school assignment. I remember that process because halfway through, it didn’t even feel like I was making this thing anymore. I started to not believe my eyes with how this painting was coming along, it was looking good and I just couldn’t believe how good it was. I was so happy with the finished product, I couldn’t sleep that night. I had way too much adrenaline and was high off of what felt like a big win. I stayed up all night just deconstructing the process and what went well, and excited at the possibility of what kinda work I could make from that moment on.

EM: Why did you decide to go to art school?

BM: Simply put, I just like learning. Something about learning feels psychedelic, like your mind expands every time you attain a piece of knowledge that could positively benefit your life or others. During high school everyone was trying to figure out what to do but I already knew what I wanted to do since middle school. But telling my parents I wanted to go to school for art was a drag. They insisted that I think of another path and that I wouldn't be able to make a living. If it wasn’t for art I would not want to study anything else. I met a bunch of people during school too that were doing other stuff because they were convinced that you couldn't make a living off of art. I went into art school wanting to just learn a few things to take along with me and didn’t really care too much about grades or the final paper.

EM: What attracts you about painting?

BM: I’ve always felt the painting process to be very magical. There are moments when it doesn’t seem like much is happening and all of a sudden you are witnessing and creating something that was better than you imagined. And when you start you have trouble getting that image in your head to translate well into however you are bringing it out. But there comes a point where you can execute the idea better than what is just in your head.

EM: A lot of your work is very process-heavy and based on your immediate personal experiences, can you walk us through how you decide to start a new work of art?

BM: First it starts with an image popping in my head. Usually caused by some sort of life experience I’m going through or the environment around me. That has always been the initial catalyst. It’s not like a solid detailed image but just a vague visual with the main components added in there. Then it’s always about figuring out how to execute the idea. Generally it has always been painting, but recently I’ve been wanting to delve more into sculpture and charcoal. So I basically have gone through that process so many times that I just get an idea and put it through the wringer. Recently I’ve been trying to restructure my process where I deconstruct more of the initial idea and try to take it further into the mediums to see what happens.

A man, turned away from us, is fastening drawings and paintings to a wall. The artworks depict the faces of different people, predominanently men. — Brian Martinez preparing for his *Prelims* exhibition

EM: Are there certain themes you are thinking about when making work?

BM: Post-graduation I’ve been focusing more on my identity as a Mexican-American. I feel like I usually just focus on thoughts for themes and never go too much into my own culture. Diving into it almost feels like understanding materialism, and how my body and its mass makes me Mexican and that is how the world perceives me. My mind's programming was done by two Mexican parents and then going to school in America installed another program into my system. So it’s almost like walking around with two programs in your mind. I think Chicano identity has such a range too. There are people who speak Spanish, some don’t, some identify with their Mexican side, some don’t, some have been to Mexico, some have not. It’s been interesting to learn more about Chicano history in America, but also looking at more current artists who make artwork about being Mexican-American.

EM: What is special about living in Las Vegas as an artist?

BM: Vegas art has just been growing for years! I think lots of individuals have been putting their energy into the scene for the last 10+ years, and now post-pandemic it seems like there was a spike in artists. It’s beautiful to see more people putting their art out in the world and having more people in Vegas who can sustain their life through art.

EM: Who inspires you creatively?

BM: That’s a difficult question to answer, just because it changes constantly. As a teen it was muralists like Bezt and Sainer from Etam Cru, Aryz, and Revok MSK. A lot of those artists I found through galleries like spoke Art and Thinkspace that promote their art. I always enjoyed the quality of work they promoted. Currently, it has been the Scrambled Eggs showings we’ve had. It’s cool to see a community form around the artists we were able to showcase. It really inspired me to try my best and continue full speed ahead with my own work.

EM: Can you tell us about any projects you’re currently working on?

BM: I’ve stacked up too many projects this summer, that now I got a problem of having to prioritize a bunch of stuff. Say no to commissions kids! One of the projects I’m excited about is putting together my next solo. I feel like I have to invest the proper amount of time now that I don’t have school. I’m trying to put together an exhibition that embodies everything I’ve learned in this art journey.

EM: What is something great that you’ve seen, read or heard recently?

BM: “There are no unique messages, just unique messengers.”

For more about Brian Martinez, follow him on Instagram @martinez_brian_ and Scrambled Eggs Gallery @scrambledeggsgallery

Scrambled Eggs Gallery is an artist-run gallery and collective based in Las Vegas, Nevada working to spotlight and exhibit up and coming artists. Link to more interviews in the Scrambled Eggs Artist Interview series here.

This photograph was taken with a fisheye lens, so the walls of the room appear to bend and swell towards the viewer. paintings and drawings on paper are fastened to the walls in a dynamic, overlapping, scattered pattern. — Installation shot of *Prelims*

Posted by D.K. Sole, published by Wendy Kveck on October 26, 2022.