James Matthews
James Matthews (British) is a maker and art educator, currently working in the UAE. He gained his Master of Fine Art Degree from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and, Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons) Degree from the University of Humberside. Matthews has been a resident in the UAE since 2007.
Sounds (woodcuts)
Matthews’ work is created using a range of printmaking techniques such as woodcuts, monoprinting, collagraphs, pochoir/ stenciling, collage and embossing.
The marks, shapes, forms and colours in the prints are made from responses to everyday sounds i.e. street sounds, traffic, cafes, trains, people, music, etc. These sounds provide the stimulus and inspiration. The works are derived from aural stimuli, aspects of memory and responses to an immediate environment and space. Matthews is interested in the ephemeral synchronicity of everyday sounds and the use of the aural to create the visual.
It is quite possible that there is nowhere else in the world where the Date Palm Tree is more interwoven with human culture than in the UAE. Providing natural shade, food, and materials for building structures and crafting functional objects, the tree can also be used to make paper. The production of the paper relates to themes of Culture, Environment, and Sustainability. The Cyanotype Prints on the artist handmade papers were created using the three elements essential to life, survival, and sustenance in the region; date palm trees, water, and sunlight.
Trompe l'oeil (relief paintings)
Inspired by the reverse perspective of the fourteenth century Ottoman Turkish illuminated illustrations of the Siyer-i Nebi.
Mixed media painting and printmaking work inspired by the UAE and UK.