Matt Reynolds
Matt Reynolds Statement
Even before I realized it, my artistic practice has always been steeped in the materiality of mark making. As a child, I carved my initials into my mother’s wooden coffee table and tried to blame it on my brother. In high school, I made marks by creating paintings with acrylic paint. In college I explored a wide variety of art making techniques and media while simultaneously training to be a teacher. Now I function in the dual role of teaching my students how and why to make marks as well as making marks of my own.
The materials used to create my work are an important facet. Each piece is created on birch panels and uses a combination of pyrography, or wood burning and watercolor. The line work of the piece, as well as some shading and dark values, are all
burnt into the surface of the panel using a wood burning pen. The scene is then illustrated in color using watercolor paint, which absorbs directly into the wood. The process of burning marks into the wooden surface permanently alters it, creating a parallel between the process of creating a work of art and our interactions with the environment and social world around us.
