| Growing up around animals in a small town in Pennsylvania, Matt Forrest subsequently chose to put animal images into his prints, oil paintings and drawings. Through the small town aspect of his life story, education and church-going lifestyle, he discovered the importance of animal symbolism— that animals held a great deal of significance in every religion, culture and faith. Fascinated by this subject matter, Forrest decided to concentrate on showing this connection ever since. |  |
Animal Endeavors – Victoria Mayer
Growing up around animals in a small town in Pennsylvania, Matt Forrest subsequently chose to put animal images into his prints, oil paintings and drawings. Through the small town aspect of his life story, education and church-going lifestyle, he discovered the importance of animal symbolism— that animals held a great deal of significance in every religion, culture and faith. Fascinated by this subject matter, Forrest decided to concentrate on showing this connection ever since.
Victoria Mayer: How would you describe the main themes of your recent artworks?
Matt Forest: I am currently driven to create prints, murals and drawings that will generate dialogue between viewer and image. To accomplish this, I use familiar imagery. Currently, I am incorporating appropriated animal images and juxtaposing them with the symbols, colors or compositions of Christian iconography. I also want to make work that leads me to alter space, color, content and the simplification of imagery.
VM: Tell me about your choice of medium and why you enjoy print.
MF: Currently, I have chosen to move back into limited edition prints, oil paintings and drawings. However, I have always used print, not only to make editions, but also as a means to explore composition choices prior to painting or drawing them. I also use various other methods and I continue to develop new techniques, which recently brought me back to New York City when I interned for Pamplemousse Press, a part of Pace Editions. I went to New York to expand upon how I could complete larger scale vinyl works like the ones I created for the T.R.A.F. Gallery (Pittsburgh Cultural Trust) show I was recently in. This work was done by using a large format printer, vinyl and large, handmade stencil sets.
VM: While growing up in the country, did anything special happen in your childhood that might have influenced not only themes, but also your style?
MF: As I mentioned earlier, I grew up around a lot of animals. In the summer, my sister and I would spend most of our time with our grandparents. My grandfather would take us fishing at the creek by his house, my father took me hunting and I was always in the woods—climbing trees, or up to some adventure. It didn’t matter where you were; there was always lots of wildlife to be seen. At a young age, I began to draw birds and I eventually started to draw anything that captured my interest. This led me to decide on art as a major for my undergraduate degree. The fact that I grew up in a Baptist household also impacted my work and still does, even though I have changed faith over the years. The effects of religious imagery on a young mind are still vivid with me, from the pictures of Christ to animals and the ark. It is a major aspect of my life and it will continue to be important to the exploration of myself as an artist and as a person.
VM: Tell me a bit about your small town and your college years, and how it might have had an impact on you.
MF: As I was growing up, in a small rural town in Pennsylvania, I feel that community helped instil in me a sense or a drive to explore and talk with others about anything—really, it didn’t matter what the subject was. I was just always outgoing and interested in people and the world. I guess this wanting to go out in the world led me to explore how I could connect with the world around me. In college, I used my artwork to connect with others on political views, widespread social concerns and so on. We all came from different backgrounds. Mine just happened to be a very supportive and work-driven early life. Really, my small town gave me the drive to explore.
VM: Do you ever receive comments on your artwork that irritate you?
MF: Off-the-wall comments, or others’ dissatisfaction irritates me. I can’t say every show was a success. But, it’s something you prep yourself for. However, I have had people refuse to talk to me because of how my print or painting looked to them. Using spiritual imagery can be a touchy subject.
VM: Can you tell me a little bit about the idea behind Zamuk Poznan Poland?
MF: This image is based on my interest in the book of Exodus in the Bible, the story of Egypt and the plagues. This work I have entitled Locust. This was the first print in which I used myself as a model. Lacking the ability to find models or pay for models when I was overseas, I substituted myself.
VM: In your “Poland,” works you focused increasingly on adding detailed backgrounds, while in your current works you use a lot of white and concentrate more on the character and a simple background. What has motivated this decision?
MF: During my time in Poland I was influenced by my surroundings. For the most part, I was the main focus of my own work. I was in a small studio space and I didn’t know very much Polish. Only one of the professors at the school could speak English when I arrived, so I produced work in the academy that reflected isolation. I was in a large city, with many people, and many students around me—but I don’t think there has ever been a time where I have felt more alone, which resulted from the language barrier.
I suppose, in a way, I used the backgrounds of the work to show my distance from my immediate society. I was surrounded by action and liveliness, but I was also distanced from it, experiencing it all from an isolated perspective. That part of my life is over now and since I am no longer the focus of my own prints, my backgrounds serve to emphasize the importance of the images themselves. The message of some of my other pieces would be lost in such backgrounds as my “Poland” works.
VM: Tell me more about your most recent works and how you and your artwork matured.
MF: My current direction with painting is a desire to become better formally acquainted with painting and understanding color and composition choices in a singular sense. Drawing allows me to explore a simple and direct method of art making. The method behind drawing helps me to focus on refining detail on other processes. In my earlier years of work, I used drawing to create templates and temporary sketches for other works. It’s clear in my recent pieces that I’ve grown and come to find new applications.
VM: Do you think in ten years time you will look back and think your works from right now are still good?
MF: That’s really hard to say. I’ve often looked back and thought, “What in the hell was I thinking?” But, I’ve also had moments looking at my older work when I feel that those pieces could still stand on their own, and represent this part of me and of my vision at the time. Recently, I’ve come to feel that way more and more.
VM: What are you trying to accomplish with putting your work out there and having it seen?
MF: My idea in creating these animal studies is to draw the viewer’s attention to animals’ place and purpose within our society. The use of those appropriated animal images allows me to focus on my interests in composition, space and placement. I can create work in an efficient manner and create variations of the same piece in order to create more proofs that enable me to focus on formal issues, like color, placement and sizing.
VM: What is your favourite image?
MF: As of right now it would have to be Whale Feast, the 30 x 40in drawing. It’s a favourite because this particular piece represents the artistic direction in which I want to move my work. Another of my favourites, right now, is Icon Set. The scale and overall look turned out exactly as I had planed on. This is a large oil based painting and screen print.
VM: Thanks for your time. Is there anything else you would like to add?
MF: I would also like to acknowledge those who have been working for me up till this point—my agent JoniSue Cleavenger and friend. You can find more about her at www.jcleavenger.com. I would also like to say thanks to Artists Image Resource in Pittsburgh, PA for their continued support. If you’re looking for more of my work, or are curious about my artist statement, check my website, www.mattforrest.net for other information and current updates of shows and work.
