This is Matt Christie and welcome to my exhibition “Between Then and Now”
The paintings on view reflect my interest in several areas. Certainly the history of American landscape painting but also a desire to go beyond the image and question my own motivations and drives.
The conceptual basis of my work is rooted in experiences of nature that began in early childhood. Something ineffable was happening in the fields and forest and by the streams and ponds I encountered. Nature had a profound effect on me, and I have been exploring that experience ever since.
My work is not directed externally but, rather, focused internally. I employ landscape as a metaphor to explore my own psychological nature and development. My work to a certain extent serves as self-portrait, expressing such opposing forces in psychological development as death and growth, threat and safety, loneliness and relationship. Over time, I’ve come to regard the landscape image as an integral part of myself—a form and presence that connects inner nature with outer nature.
As a result, my effort in the studio is not so much about the objects “out there” as the mystery of a living, mutual exploration. It’s not only that I am exploring nature, but that nature is exploring me. Through this mutual dialog I hope to gain insight into my own psychological growth, drives and character.
Finally, I’d like to thank Collin Parson and Emily Grace King of the Arvada Center for their invaluable contribution in making this exhibition a reality.