How I Got My First Art Pieces
Circumference X and Y
One of the most memorable experiences I had through 1888 Center would easily be working with Steve Martinez. Here is an artist that will shape and summarize the experience of a generation. This is the story of how I bought my first art.
We collaborated with him on a mural in the lower workshop of our cultural center. He spent days down there with his crew. (One night, I would walk back up to drop off a favorite beer of mine for Steve just to share and say thanks. His whole crew was there helping with the project, but I walked up like a fanboy and handed him a single beer and left. It would be precious if it weren’t so embarrassing.)
The work was amazing, and we threw a gallery show as a thank you when it was finished. Like a true artist, he still made unique work for this experience and showed up to the prep with new work, a mini series he called “Circumference.” There was ‘Circumference A’ ‘Circumference B’ and two others that struck me especially deep: ‘Circumference X’ and ‘Circumference Y’.
These were the first pieces of art I bought in my life. The circumference series was meant to be a deliberate thought of who you let into your circle, your inner space. It is a symbol of trust, in this way. The pieces themselves are also a combination of his street art and fine art training, the most notable twist, and his signature move, called “the roots,” as a call back to his training as a fine artist. It is a symbol of authenticity, in this way.
I didn’t unwrap them from the framing (which is its own story) until I moved to Boston. They were the first pieces of my life that I carried into my studio in DC. I nicknamed them my protection spells. They are a reminder to be careful of who I let inside and to carry myself authentically.
More soon,
Trevor
