Artist Bio
Baz Martin is a queer part-time freelance artist born and raised in Stockton, California. It is a multimedia artist with a focus on functional ceramic work and digital illustrations. Notable themes behind his work are queer culture, nature, and fantasy which allows him to be experimental with ways of expressing himself! Its work has been shown in various galleries from California all the way to Virginia.
Artist Statement
I grew up drawing, painting, and doing anything I could get my little hands on so long ago that I can’t even remember how old I was! It’s really just been such a core part of my life and self that I couldn’t imagine where I would be without art. I was around 10 when I started to take drawing seriously and began creating my own characters and stories. I moved onto doing digital pieces with a computer that was just about as old as I was with a computer mouse, but I persisted! I took my first ceramics class back in high school which wasn't the most fancy however it opened my eyes to a brand new medium. Most of my current work is ceramic based, often functional pottery with sgraffito designs. Sgraffito in ceramics is the process of adding underglaze or colored slip and carving it away to reveal the natural clay underneath! This process stems from my previous background with print-making linocut work which I loved. I learned this process roughly four years ago through classes offered at Delta, and I still have such a deep connection to it even if it’s not my most common medium anymore. A lot of my inspiration for my artwork comes from queer identity and culture along with fantasy, nature, and just having fun!! I just love to make work that makes me happy, I am my own target audience and if you love art of any of those themes, I’m sure you’ll also enjoy my work!
Work Statement
The piece I created for this exhibition is titled “Protect Queer Lives”, which is a sweet and simple quote used to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. With everything going on in the political climate right now, I think we need as much support and protection as possible. In this piece I tried to create a variety of different people who identify as queer without the use of flags and color! There are a variety of different body types shown from lean or athletic to soft and stocky. Some were created from references of real queer people including one with my own body type! Along with that each person shows off their own version of queer expression through hairstyles, facial and body hair, piercings, and surgeries or gender affirming gear. The different hairstyles shown range from “classic” styles to more alternative ones which can be used as a way to signal within our community and just because they are fun! This goes the same for piercings; a few designs have facial piercings which are common for self-expression and breaking social norms. Different styles of top surgery are also shown, the middle character has double mastectomy scars with nipple grafts while the top right character has a double mastectomy without grafts, their scars also connect in the middle, a common occurrence for larger people who get top surgery! The middle right character is wearing a chest binder, something used to create a more “masculine” or flatter chest most commonly used by transgender people. I also decided to fill in any empty spaces with flowers often seen as queer! First there are roses, a reference to The Rose Project created for the queer community. Next are lavender sprigs, something tied to the LGBTQ+ community since the late 19th and mid-20th centuries with derogatory connotations that have now been reclaimed. There are also miscellaneous types of pansies drawn, which have a similar history to lavender and are slowly being reclaimed by queer men! Last but not least are green carnations, which were used as a subtle form of gay flagging in 1892. I put a lot of effort into depicting a variety of queer folk to be seen in this piece and it means a lot to me!!
Protect Queer Lives
Linocut on paper
18" x 12" print / paper 22” x 16” / 27.5" x 20.5" frame
2026
NFS
LGBTQ+ Advocacy through the Arts
Poster for Trans Day of Visibility and Project Event
April 2, 2026