'Handball Court', Oil on Canvas, 2016, 91 x 130 inches;
Studio shot, small works in progress, September 2016;
'Swimming Pool 3’, Oil on Canvas, 2016, 30 x 40 inches;
Studio shot, works in progress, October 2016;
‘The National’ In Progress in the studio, August 2016;
“Gas Facility’ Oil on Canvas, 2016, 74 x 98 inches;
Gallery shot, 'The National’ and ‘CTA’ Oil on canvas, 2016, 72 x 96 inches;
Detail of painting in progress, ‘Brooklyn Water Works’ Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches;
‘Fulton Street’ Graphite and photo on wood, 2016, 9.5 x 7.5 inches;
Working studio shot of ‘CTA’, Oil on Canvas, 2016, 72 x 96 inches
As a painter, I am interested in the built environment and the forms, shapes and perimeters of the spaces, places and non-places we define. There are numerous formal, material and compositional elements that inform my work but mostly it is an attempt to unearth some kind of understanding of myself and my sense of place. As someone who traveled extensively as a child my sense of home has always been very fixed to an internal sense of familiarity and never to a physical location as defined on a map. As such, my paintings are a way for me to question my surroundings and the definition of space that we collectively impose on ourselves. I am most interested in spaces that might be considered non-places or that are fairly utilitarian like subway stations or gateways and barriers that divide space and either refuse or control access. These spaces are often transient in nature and may serve either as connecting blocks or conversely as barriers to other places. My work is deeply rooted in the conversation between photography and painting and I use my own photographic images as a framework from which to build each painting. The resulting paintings are a departure from the source image that dismisses the illusion of the photograph and highlights the structure, materiality and building process of the painting itself.
Mathew was born In Harpenden, United Kingdom where he lived with his sister and parents until the age of two. He was then brought up and Educated in the U.A.E (Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Bahrain, St. Lucia and England as his family moved around due to the nature of his father's work. Mathew first studied Art and Design at West Surrey College of Art and Design and later at London College of Printing (London Institute). He then lived and worked in London for 10 years before moving to Ireland in 2006 to teach surfing and to study for a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at Sligo Institute of Technology. At the start of 2014 Mathew moved to New York City to study an MFA at Hunter College as a painter, graduating in May 2016. He continues to live and work in Brooklyn with his studio practice located in Red Hook. Mathew’s work is held in private collections in the USA, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Ireland.