Biography
Jessica Martinkosky, Professor of Fine Art at Blue Ridge Community College, teaches ceramics, design, art history and appreciation, and humanities courses.
Previously, she was the Educator at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News, and a resident at the Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Appomattox.
Jessica earned her MFA in Ceramics from Virginia Commonwealth University and her BFA from James Madison University. She has participated in exhibitions throughout the United States, including in Virginia, Connecticut, Texas, and Idaho.
Jessica is currently a PhD student in the University of Kentucky’s Educational Leadership program.
Contact Jessica at:
Phone: (540) 453-2343
Email: martinkoskyj@brcc.edu
Office: V128
Artist Statement
My current work investigates the complex relationships among spirituality, nature, and humanity. As a result, these pieces incorporate content about organic and planetary rhythms, the cycles of life, time, and the seasons and commentary about human effects on the planet. Particularly after reading Doug Tallamy’s wonderful book Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard, I strive to present thoughtful, proactive, and hopeful messages. This includes imagery like victory gardens, native plants, and the interaction between native animals and plants.
In addition, I am interested in the similarities among world cultures’ spiritual belief systems and the connection between spirituality and care of the planet. I have been particularly absorbed by the prevalence of reincarnation stories, spirals, a mother figure, and the numbers three and five, all of which show up throughout the course of human history on every habitable continent. Cloud imagery connects to spirituality and mystery as well as weather patterns. Therefore, many of my pieces incorporate triangles, clouds, groups of three, spirals, and coils in addition to nature imagery.
Description of Work
My work is made primarily of clay, with other media, such as fabric, metal, wood, and paint included when it feels logical. Surfaces include colored slip (watered-down clay), glaze (water, powdered glass, and chemical colorants), paint, sand, and other materials. Some pieces are carved and hollowed from a solid piece of clay, while others are created from slabs or coils of clay attached together. I create protrusions, carve into the surface, stencil, and otherwise alter the surfaces to add additional information and/or meaning to the works. After glazing, the pieces are fired in an electric kiln to approximately 2300 degrees Fahrenheit and then non-clay materials may be added.
