Dylan Martinez is a contemporary glass artist known for his hyperrealistic sculptures that challenge the boundary between illusion and reality. Best recognized for his glass water bag series, Martinez uses advanced glassblowing and hot sculpting techniques to create works that appear to be plastic bags filled with liquid. Every bubble, wrinkle, and fold is meticulously crafted, producing sculptures that compel viewers to question whether they are seeing solid glass or water trapped in plastic. His practice draws from the tradition of trompe l’oeil, and his own colorblindness has heightened his sensitivity to perception and visual deception.

Beyond the water bags, Martinez explores other playful and experimental forms, such as water balloons, colored variants, and glass renditions of pop-culture figures like Pac-Man ghosts. These works continue his exploration of light, translucency, and fluidity, while also embracing humor and nostalgia. Whether evoking everyday disposable objects or iconic characters, Martinez elevates the ordinary into captivating sculptural forms, balancing technical precision with visual wit.

At the core of Martinez’s art is a meditation on impermanence, fragility, and trust in our senses. By reimagining ephemeral objects in glass—a material both fragile and enduring—he invites viewers to reflect on consumption, ecology, and the fleeting nature of perception. His studio in Bingen, Washington, has become the site of an internationally recognized practice, with works exhibited and collected across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Through illusion, craft, and concept, Dylan Martinez transforms the mundane into objects of wonder and contemplation.