Announcement    My name is Sylvia Marina Martinez (I go by Marina) and I am from Southern California. My art has elements of my Chicana/Honduran heritage & my California/Southwest roots. A stroke & 2-time cancer survivor, I make art to heal, inspire, provide hope & comfort. Usually when I get an idea or a commission, I first gather as much information about the person, place, history, and mood seeking to be conveyed. I also spend time in meditation and listen to related music as well–I rely on messages that bubble from the collective unconscious. I also research old newspaper articles and photography using public or university libraries & archives. I make sure I only use assets that are available in public domain or are licensed for use in commercial work. I’m still developing my methodology and process as I’m fairly new in this journey. I approach the art as its own entity that wants to speak and I feel I’m the conduit. I’m a lifelong learner and committed to my growth as an artist and as a someone who seeks to make a contribution to culture and historical storytelling. You can find me on all social media platforms as @thecozycasita or via my website at www.sylviamarinamartinez.com.

BIO
Sylvia Marina Martinez is a native Southern Californian of Chicana and Honduran heritage. She works as a graphic designer and a mixed media collage artist seeking stories of resilience, hope, and survival. She received her BA in Cultural Anthropology from UC Berkeley in 1996 and a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University in 2000. Her career has ranged from doing research in public health and implementing community health programs, project management and grant writing for community youth organizations as well as project management in the arts/music industry, and as an artisan/entrepreneur creating home décor (Mexican Talavera tile serving trays). She only began professionally making collage art in the past 5 years, after surviving a life-threatening hemorrhagic stroke in 2018 at the age 44. As a survivor, she makes art to heal her own trauma and to provide comfort and hope to those who need it. Her art has elements of her personal journey, family stories, Chicana/Honduran heritage, as well as her love of California and the Southwest. Additionally, she seeks to share stories of resilience, hope, and survival while preserving history and educating about the cultural and socio-political history of the American continent. Currently Sylvia Marina has been commissioned to create digital collage art for the cover of Grammy winning Dom Flemons upcoming album, Traveling Wildfire, which was released March 2023.