Meet MARTHA MORAN | Sculptor, fountain, shower and furnishings designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with MARTHA MORAN and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MARTHA, what do you attribute your success to?
When I first moved to Ojai, I loved coming upon random rockstacks along the trails. But I thought they’d be far more interesting if they weren’t made from monochromatic sandstone. That simple thought was the genesis of Ojai Rockstacker. I began creating my own stacks (all safely pinned) using colorful jasper, obsidian and petrified wood and inlaying geodes, Ammonites and Brazilian agates into inherently sculptural boulders. The Ojai Rockstacker Studio has since evolved to include fountains, stone furnishings and “Art Showers” which I customize to each client’s personal iconography.

As far as I know, no one else does what I do. I have my own little niche which keeps expanding as I keep exploring new possibilities.

I have a BA in art from the College of Creative Studies at UCSB as well as an MFA from UCLA Film School. My first career was as a writer and story editor in children’s TV. When I realized I could work from anywhere, I moved to Ojai. I love writing jokes for kids, but I always intended to make art again. I wasn’t sure what that would be, but I wanted my work to stand out in a crowded, intimidating art market.

I had done some bronze casting in college, but early on, there was a lot of learning about power tools, diamond drills and the like. I started small — making desk top-sized stacks I call Reiki RocksTM. As a Reiki practitioner, I send Reiki to those who have my sculptures – aiming to bring a bit of Eastern tranquility into our hectic lives.
I also began building larger, outdoor sculptures and public commissions. Seeing the sorry state of fountains on the market, I began building rockstack fountains, using Amethysts, Geodes and other unique stones (again, I don’t believe anyone else is doing this). After a 2013 house fire, I designed my own personalized Lascaux-like shower which launched me into custom shower design. Since then, I’ve also designed lamps, tables and wall pieces, using glass, tile and stone with my own petroglyph designs. I also build commissioned fountains and sculptures, sometimes working with clients’ personal rock collections. Everything keeps evolving, one thing leading to something new.

But as a brand, initially I was worried Ojai Rockstacker would appear scattered — veering off in too many directions. I see myself as a fine artist, but my pieces also verge into garden art and interior design. I now realize in all my work there is a common thread of conveying serenity into people’s lives and gardens – that same serenity I feel seeing a random rock stack out on the trail. That’s my brand. That’s Ojai Rockstacker.

I feel very fortunate to do what I do – a second, more free-wheeling career after working in the film industry. It’s a great luxury to simply follow your intuitions, but I think it leads to good work. During the COVID shutdown, I felt like scaling back – making smaller, more intimate sculptures, layering polished Agates with other intriguing stones to create “altars” I call “Goddess Eyes.”

In June I’m opening a yearlong exhibition, “Matters of Gravity” with Tanya Kovaleski at the Maloof Foundation in Alta Loma. The exhibit opens with an outdoor reception on Saturday, June 5 from 3 -5pm. All are welcome. It’s a gorgeous exhibition garden and a fantastic opportunity for me to spread my wings and delve into new areas of work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m very excited about the work I’m doing for “Matters of Gravity” at the Maloof Foundation with a full year to exhibit my work in a magnificent setting. I’m assembling a large installation of small sculptures I call “Buddha Beach Maloof,” inspired by “Buddha Beach” in Sedona, Arizona – a magical place filled with hundreds of rockstacks – on the ground, in the trees and river. It is utterly serene, but also playful – like you’re surrounded by hundreds of tiny wood sprites — and if you spin round quick enough, you’ll catch them moving. At Maloof, I hope to emulate this enchanting place – though my rockstacks are built from all kinds of geodes, fossilized ammonites and other geological wonders.

I am also exhibiting sculptures that address worrisome “matters of gravity” for our planet. Among them is “Altar for those Lost in the Pandemic” which includes “Apache Tears,” considered a grief stone. There will be a basket of these obsidian Tears for guests who’d like to take one home. Climate change and our escalating fire threats are addressed in “Altar to the Fire Gods” and another new sculpture featuring a cymbal from a friend’s drum set destroyed by the Thomas Fire. I’m also exhibiting sculptures carved in Styrofoam, then coated with colored concrete. I’ll have more of these sculpted concrete sculptures and political pieces as well as new, large scale “Goddess Eyes” on the Ojai Studio Tour October 9-11.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Angelenos like to drive, right? So I would head east to see “Matters of Gravity,” the sculpture exhibit of Tanya Kovaleski and myself in the Maloof Foundation gardens (Carnelian off the 210), tour Sam Maloof’s furniture workshop and see the arts & crafts show in the Jacobs Gallery. I’d make a lunch stop at La Paloma on Foothill (my favorite restaurant from childhood), then “pop over” to Quartzite (AKA “Road Warrior for Seniors”) to do some rock shopping. By May it gets toasty and most vendors are closed. But in January the Quartzite Gem Show is in town and there are thousands of booths, tons of gems, rocks and oodles of weird junk. Then I’d head to Tucson for one of the world’s premiere gem shows. This year because of COVID, the Tucson Gem Show was held in April, but normally takes place the first two weeks in February, dovetailing the Quartzite show. With Trump no longer in office, vendors from banned countries will be back with their fabulous inventory of gems and other wonders. Each year I see something completely new – stones that inspire whole new lines of work. If you like geological wonders, once in your life –GO! Okay, since I got you to go all the way to Tucson, why not visit Sedona and find magical “Buddha Beach,” (ask a local – hard to find) one of my all time favorite places on earth!

Okay, then on my trek back to Ojai, I’d stop at Casablanca on Rose and Lincoln for a calamari dinner!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My partner Fred Chase has been an unflagging supporter of my work — even when the living room fills with rocks when it is 115F here in Ojai. My sisters and their husbands are also great supporters and I have so many other people who have given me guidance geologically and artistically over the years…. There is a book I especially like (it’s very thin): “Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche” by Robert Johnson. It observes how we suppress certain aspects of our talents and personality when we are younger and how we can draw energy from those uninvestigated talents later in life. Very useful.

Website: www.ojairockstacker.com

Instagram: ojairokstkr

Facebook: Ojairockstacker

Other: Address: Ojai, California Studio visits by appointment only 805 279-7605 or martha@ojairockstacker.com Instagram:Ojairokstr

Image Credits
Deborah Lyon, David Baker