Orca Studio...

 

 

Artist's Statement

from www.orcastudio.com

John R. Matthews

 

 

Photo by Al - Bellingham, WA - 2003

 

"When I get back to crayons, frogs, and skinny dipping, I'll have regained my youth"

 

Art has always been a personal experience where freedom of choice, and adaptability are a passion.  There needs to be some sort of challenge to attract my attention.  Along the way is a desire to pick up old crayons, catch frogs, and run butt-naked for a skinny-dip on a hot Summer day.  It's a matter of serendipity.  My mind, and my painting, has some of the same rational, and attributes.

The studio is a laboratory/workshop for experimentation and construction, all the while a sanctuary for reflection and refreshment, where I can work in a pair of boxer shorts (Pablo Picasso did it).  My agenda is to get lost in the process of creating.  The studio is a fun place to be.

I might be categorized a romantic abstractionist, or abstract romantic, for the most part.  Primarily self-taught, I refuse to be boxed in by a "genre".  Rather, I am absorbed with notions toward  composition, value, and hues.  Subject, and detail, are often secondary.  I am a positive existentialist, not suffering from angst, but enjoying each day as "an artful romance with life".  For me, doing art is a journey - not the destination.

I live with my wife, Sheryl, and our cat, Doofus, in the Lincoln Heights area of Spokane, Washington.  I divide time between my job with an aerospace manufacturer, cooking, playing guitar, doing chores, auditing on-line courses from Yale University and, of course, painting.  And, I enjoy a good nap.

 

Photo by the artist - Winter, 2009

 

Exhibition / Representation / Sales have included:

Gallery West - Bellingham, WA

Pacific Marine Gallery - Bellingham, WA

Heritage Gallery - Mt. Vernon, WA

Amenities Gallery - LaConner, WA

Down Under Gallery & Framing - Spokane Valley, WA (Business Closed)

Art, Music & More - Spokane Valley, WA

Community Minded TV (Channel 14) 'Artist Showcase' - Spokane, WA

Liberty Lake Farmers Market - Liberty Lake, WA

A Means Of Expression Gallery - Pensacola, FL (Business Closed)

Texar's Arts On the Green - Pensacola, FL

Gulf Breeze Celebrates The Arts Member Show - Gulf Breeze, FL

NAS Whiting Field NEX - Milton, FL

Aviation Plaza - NAS Pensacola

National Museum Of Naval Aviation - Pensacola, FL

 

Donations:

Make-A-Wish Foundation for Deaconess & Sacred Heart Hospitals - Spokane, WA

City of Cheney - Cheney, WA

 

 

email: orcastudio@comcast.net

 

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