kenosha, wi

revelations

acrylic/ink

what do i want the viewer to get from my work? emotion. i have a little demon inside who constantly stokes my creative fire. if others get the slightest sense of what that inner demon is trying to say, that’s when i feel my art works. success is a viewer being moved by my work.

i like looking at art that impacts my eyes and my heart. i want my work to impact others the same way. emotions cover a huge range, but i find that the emotions that inspire me to create are not always the “happy” ones. i am positive and energetic in person, but gravitate towards darker themes in art. the movies in my collection aren’t comedies – they are epic shakespearean tragedies. some of the artists that have influenced my work are robert motherwell, francis bacon, metallica, bill watterson, chuck palahniuk, quentin tarantino, ralph steadman, stephen king, jimmy eat world, and many others.

specht at work.

you’ll notice that there are many different artistic fields there, as well as differing levels of what many would consider “art.” i feel that most of these artists have bridged a critical gap that i continually strive to conquer, as well. that gap is between stuffy highbrow “art” and vapid, commercialized fodder for the masses. most of these artists (with the exception, maybe, of motherwell) have created art that speaks to the masses while still employing history, care, thought, and emotion. they are not speaking to the lowest common denominator, or merely putting out drivel they know will sell. they are feeding their inner demon.

i use ink and acrylics when i paint. they are fast, immediate media that help capture the energy and emotion i am looking for. my technique is governed by the emotion i’m after. it makes for an inconsistent but personally gratifying body of work. one thing i learned and employ in almost every painting is that painting ideas are much like song ideas or poem ideas – they are not born fully mature. songs need to be practiced. poems need to be revised. paintings need that same practice and revision. i treat my ideas as valid ideas looking for the right execution. that means staying open to possibility and retaining a child-like sensibility in my whole approach: what works? what doesn’t? what can i do to help the piece? what is it trying to say?

and, above all, if it ain’t right, do it again. feed the demon.

Click here to read an interview with Matt at ExposeKenosha.com.

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