IN FOCUS
Mathew Newton

Works

Standing Still, (2006), Woodcut, 76 cm x 40 cm

Pendle Hill, (2005), Lithograph, 29cm x 42 cm

There are various themes that regularly resurface in my work, such as melancholy, boredom, loneliness, depression, progress, uncertainty and redemption or lack thereof. I’m very interested in the idea of a meritocracy with it’s inherent inequality and the space between desire/will and what actually happens in reality.

My influences are very mixed and include everything from Romanesque church frescos and Flemish medieval painting to outsider art and comic books, my family and friends.

Within my artistic practice I use a wide range of materials and try not to limit myself regarding experimentation. Each medium or material or object has it’s own history and associations which can help to add another layer of information to a piece of work. I enjoy print because of the many different qualities and finishes that can be created in a single image and I enjoy the printmaking process because of the huge scope for experimentation and accident. I like making prints because you can never really predict where they will end up. There is distance between the image and myself; both within the process and in deciding the context in which it is viewed.

At the moment, along with other things, I’m working on an installation about a boys dream to become an astronaut.