Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Gonzalez.
Hi Matthew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been drawing ever since I was a child, yet it was random things here and there: Copies of other people’s artworks, recreations of cartoon scenes, and random stuff around the house. I started painting back in my sophomore year of high school, (around 6 years ago) when a friend of mine sent me a video of a girl painting on YouTube. I was in awe of her technique, uses of color, and imagery as well; it just sparked something within me.
I decided I wanted to try it out, so I took a trip to Michaels and spent $70 on art supplies: Craft paint, brushes, a mix media sketchbook, a palette, and an easel. When I got home, I set everything up on my dining room table and created my first piece, which was a Disney Donald Duck Tsum Tsum. I remember being so proud of it, but most importantly, I found that it was very peaceful and provided me with a sense of tranquility. From then on, I continuously attempted to recreate artworks, photographs, and just experiment with the medium. The more I explored, the more I fell in love.
Fast forward to junior year of high school, I was accidentally placed into an AP Drawing class with a whopping 1 year of experience with the medium. The class was something that I never thought I’d be put into, surrounded by peers who were so much better than I was as if they have been doing this for years. Over the course of the school year, I pushed myself to try harder, explore new mediums, learn from my peers and my teachers, and tried to get more detailed and more complex with every piece that I made. I ended up getting a 4 on the final AP portfolio.
Then, in senior year, I took AP 2D Design, and my concentration focused on the states of mind. I was forced to create works that took me out of my comfort zone. I found my style of art that year, portraying the states of mind through various imagery, textures, and layers of paper, all combined in one cohesive piece (a collage, but with my own special twist). I ended up getting a 5 on the AP final portfolio.
From then on, I just kept going. Eventually, throughout time, my work has morphed into the more eclectic, darker aesthetic that it is today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been smooth. Art isn’t a linear progression; the journey is very much chaotic.
In the beginning, I had 0 clues about what I was doing. I was constantly looking up videos for advice, techniques, reviews on different brands, different mediums and how to use them, brushes, color theory… the list is endless. Trial and error were a daily occurrence and exploring different painting surfaces, art styles, and compositions were a roller coaster.
I think it’s easy to forget that failing is absolutely essential for progression. With painting, you are constantly moving forward, backward, then sideways, then forward again. You’re going to have your bad pieces, your slip-ups, your uneven compositions, and your imperfect ideas, however, we must never forget that things get worse before they get better.
With every piece that I’ve made, I have messed up countless times. I’ve mixed the wrong color, painted the wrong section first, made the face uneven, the hands disproportionate, the landscape looks flat, the blending look rough, and yet I got up and continued, no matter the frustration or time put in because I knew that in the end, the piece was going to be its own kind of beautiful.
Even then, learning isn’t the only obstacle to overcome. I believe one of everyone’s weaknesses tends to be their capacity for self-doubt, comparison, and lack of confidence. Everyone goes through these periods where they believe they aren’t good enough, talented/skilled enough, or productive enough.
It tends to be people’s biggest struggle without them realizing it; a problem lurking within the shadows. We must realize that having potential is beautiful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My artworks are mainly centered around the mind, focusing on emotions that I would like to express onto paper.
I also really enjoy collages, landscapes, and some more experimental works such as inkblots. I absolutely love working in acrylics and gouaches. Those are my most used mediums but I usually combine them with inks, colored pencils, and event photography. I enjoy incorporating different textures, papers, mediums, styles, and images into my paintings because they provide ambiguity and visual interest.
At the current moment, I am in a phase of transformation in terms of my art style, morphing from the lighter aesthetic to the darker aesthetic, taking inspiration from gothic art, dark academia, the night, the macabre, and anything in-between. I think what sets me apart from other people in my way of connecting to the viewer via my imagery. I do mix media and collage, but not in the conventional sense.
Often my pieces have 3-4 layers of ripped paper to them, and though the imagery is different per layer, they all mold together cohesively in the end. I want people to feel something when they see my works and to enjoy the aesthetics that I created.
What were you like growing up?
I never realized it till I was older, but I’ve been artistic ever since I was a child. In elementary school, I loved playing with building blocks, playing video games, drawing in art class, and sketching at home. I was always outgoing and tried to make new friends whenever possible.
In middle school, I discovered my love for music through the clarinet. I was in the band for all 3 years of middle school, being in the Jazz and Symphonic bands in 7th and 8th grade as part of the first 5 chairs in the clarinet section, along with being part of the All-County band twice. I was the only bass clarinetist, and I’ve played the saxophone a couple of times, but I never became proficient at it. I think I was known to be one of the jokesters in class, always laughing and cracking a joke whenever possible and messing with my friends.
I was addicted to Minecraft, as every other kid was back then, but I always put time and effort into my builds. I’ve built my own theater, mini-games, amusement parks, mansions, neighborhoods, a bridge for a highway, and my friend’s houses too. I just had an eye for color and architectural design, and I think that was a sign of my creative potential really beginning to flourish. I was still drawing from time to time throughout middle school too.
I’ve had this fascination with astronomy and roller coasters ever since I was a child. I would always play Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 for hours and build my own roller coasters and theme parks, often recreating real-life roller coasters and theme parks. I fantasized about visiting different amusement parks around the world, the big one being Cedar Point (which I finally visited back in August of 2021 after 12 years of waiting). I basically knew any roller coaster you could think of and their statistics.
Even with Astronomy, I was obsessed with the different types of stars, galaxies, elements, solar systems, anomalies, black holes, explosions, and pretty much everything else about it. Every day, I would watch How The Universe Works and other television programs about space. Even to this day, I love both with all my heart and often incorporate the moon within my pieces.
Pricing:
- 100% Recycled 5x7in handmade prints: $20
- 8x10in/8.5x11in prints: $15
- 11x14in prints: $20
- Bookmarks: $4, or 4 for $12
Contact Info:
- Email: matthewgonzalezart@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhasesCoStore
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/machutheartist/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@machutheartist
