|
Exhibition
Information
Matt
Lively wants you to know that he's still young. That's
because at the age of 29, he's accomplished more than
most artists do in a lifetime. Matt's work has consistently
been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and has
been available for sale in galleries across the South
from the time he was in college.
His
impressive track record is due in part to the unique
nature of his work - what he calls "construction"
paintings and wood collages. Lively creates in oil
and non-traditional materials. He says his style is
determined by the materials he is using at the time.
"My subjects are simple and the objects are everyday,
but the effect is other worldly."
Another
factor in his success comes from the humour found
in his imagery. "Everyone who sees my work mentions
the humour, whether it's silly or dark. I don't know
if it's a big part of my personality, but it's a big
part of my work; all of it is funny at some level."
What
separates Lively's work from that of other artists
may also be his main inspiration - suburbia. His ideas
spring from the "exaggerated suburban scene that
I've seen pop up." He believes that the suburbs
are underrated as an artistic centre and that there
are many exciting things happening away from the city.
"There's always been some 'voices of the inner
city', but there's never been someone who wanted to
be the voice of the picket fence neighbourhoods. I
want to be that person." He also credits his
wife as a major influence on his work. "She makes
me want to impress her with what I do - to make new,
bigger, better things all the time."
Matt
admits that his art is a complex mixture of many different
styles, from the Old Masters to the contemporary artwork
that hangs in today's galleries. "I look at things
I like and things that intrigue me and try to figure
out how they were done. But I also learn as much from
things I hate - I learn what not to do."
Lively
is most proud of his current work, noting that his
new paintings "have merit beyond what I thought
I was capable of doing."
Growing
up in Richmond, Virginia, Matt knew at an early age
that art was in his future. "I was seven or so
and my parents let me stay up late one night and watch
'Saturday Night Live.' It had one of those fake commercials
- only I didn't know it was fake - a public service
announcement by Father Guido Sarducci on why you should
become an artist. The reason - the average artist
wakes up at noon. I wanted to wake up at noon; that's
when I decided. My mom didn't like my choice of career,
but I just kept going."
Matt
has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth
University.
View
the Collection click
here to view collection
|
