Ottawa, OntarioMatthew (Mattie) Kennedy
Since a very young age I have been passionate about visually representing thought. Initially drawing was a tool to express my imagination - drawing worlds and creatures, and spending hours developing intricate stories about them. With maturation came new mediums, and the introduction to colour and texture. Since having tasted the vast potential of these two artistic facets, I have been exploring new ways to combine them, continually learning. Overwhelmed and excited by the seemingly infinite possibilities I see no end to my development, passion or love of painting.
As I have grown as an artist, I have become more sensitive to the beauty of creation. The aesthetic properties and incredible variety of biological life, terrain, the elements, and the various forms of energy are heightened by a rudimentary understanding of science. As well as the intense beauty of nature, I am also strongly moved by the power of music. Since music is an essential component to my art - a key source of inspiration - the idea of a music themed series is fitting. I love recreating the atmospheres generated by different genres of music, capturing their strong ambiance, I also enjoy coupling the beauty of the female form with the essence of music - personifying this powerful avenue for emotional expression. the combination of music and visual art creates a synergistic stimulation of both visual and auditory senses making SENSE a fitting title for the series.
I paint primarily with oil on canvas, though I also use acrylic and have begun experimenting with mixed mediums. The incorporation of simple shapes and both swirling and straight lines to produce movement are common techniques in my work. I also enjoy the effect of deep texture, and one method new to me in this series is producing an underlying texture which doesn't correspond with the contours of the image. String and wire were also incorporated into paintings in this series, though I have used these tools in previous work. The colours and movement within each piece were chosen specifically to facilitate a targeted mood and to correspond to one of the three aforementioned music genres.
Visit my website at: http://mattiejk.spaces.live.com
