John R. Matthews

5175 Hawks Nest Dr.

Milton, FL 32570

Phone: 850-478-0587

Medium: Digital

Artist Statement:

I am a Pacific Northwest (USA) artist using photo-based digital manipulation as my medium. I'm experiencing an artful romance with life, knowing I'm on my way to somewhere, being between here and there. Liken it to the wide-eyed pup, straining on his master's leash, out to discover the world. It may be just a trip around the block, but what a wonderful journey to be blessed by the small and large of it all. The child in me is still alive. When it's gone, I will be too.

Biography

Mr. Matthews has been drafting since 1967. While still in high school as an art and photo-journalism student, he began working weekends for a civil engineering firm. In the later part of his career, he transitioned from hand-drafting to computer-aided drafting and became enthused with the idea of digital art while still an engineering technician. For those years consumed with raising a family, art remained on the back-burner. John's days associated with drafting culminated at Honeywell where he combined AutoCAD with computer numeric control (CNC) for precision machining of materials for the electronics industry. Though it didn't get off the "drawing board," John considered trying a sculpture, in basalt rock, with the water jet after seeing detailed scrolling performed with a laser. By this time, art was a consuming passion.

As his rite-of-passage from the left to the right hemisphere, John (as he prefers to be addressed) established Moment Studio Graphics in 2000, a hybrid studio for photography and graphic arts. A year later, he narrowed his focus to fine art, primarily using photo-based digital manipulation as his medium, and in the Summer of 2002 renamed his studio in anticipation of a move to Northwestern Washington state. With an eclectic world view, he abandoned any notion of genre, preferring to capture and paint images by serendipity and living outside "the box." He says, "...there are too many doors of opportunity to open to get stuck in one place. Each new image, like a new day, can hold a wonderful surprise."

One of the curious surprises has been the gradual return to more abstract works he enjoyed 30 years ago. "Abstract is one of the more subjective forms" John says, "but I've grown to a point where subjectivism doesn't mean as much to me as it once did. Everyone has an opinion, and so do I. I think that indicates I'm more comfortable with who I am, and what I do. I'm free to make images for the world, and hang subjectivity."

Publication

- Encyclopedia of Living Artists, 13th Edition (2003)

Volunteer / Contributor

- Make-A-Wish Foundation

- Spokane Art School - ArtFest 2002

Samples: