“When you are an artist, it’s because there’s something inside you that you cannot keep from spilling out. Maybe it comes in the form of sentences, or a grand jete, or a stroke of a paintbrush. The end result can be a million different things. But the seed, it’s always the same. It’s the emotion there isn’t a word for. The feeling that’s too big for your body. To show someone your soul, you have to feel. People who are comfortable - people who are content - they don’t create art.”
ABOUT FERN
Fern Matthews is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Orlando, Florida, working primarily in painting and sculpture.
She was fortunate to have been exposed to the arts at an early age and has been participating, learning and growing in the arts throughout her life. Her work in sculpture informs her paintings with clear dimensions and bold lines, while her paintings reflect her exposure to different cultures and geographies.
Working primarily in acrylics, color is a central focus, whether it is bold or subtle, as her use of color gives voice to the emotions and stories her work reveals. Her work can be subtle, using lines as allegorical references, or bold and forceful, using colors and brushwork to give voice to events, feelings, and various dynamics central to our lives.
Her work is in the permanent collections of museums, corporations, and private collections, and has been exhibited in galleries and shows throughout the United States and the Caribbean. She has been awarded grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital, and United Arts in cooperation with the State of Florida.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The process of creating art, for me, is something like walking into a fun house and knowing that you are going to be excited, maybe scared…but you enter voluntarily and always come out slightly changed for doing so.
Sometimes my work is loose and wild. Sometimes it is thoughtful and introspective. Sometimes, it’s just fun recalling places and moments in my life, or moving to the music. I have a conversation with the canvas, and like all interesting conversations, you often get something you didn’t necessarily anticipate.
My work is more about feeling than subject, about emotion, energy and reaction to my surroundings. If my work stirs your thoughts, or connects on some level, then we have connected.
Take a ride with me. Browse the art. Enjoy the ride. Engage in the conversation.