I am motivated by a lifelong obsession with “putting this with this.” As a child in the early ‘nineties, I spent my formative years immersed in and clinging to visual culture and media, which may account for my ecstatic regard for pattern mixing. I am also inspired by the simplicity and handsomeness of elemental forms (like stripes) and the sheer pleasure of color.
Wrangling various materials, including acrylic paint mediums, hand-dyed textiles, and found objects, I manipulate partitioned compositions of color, pattern, and texture until the surfaces feel mutually activated. Concealment, excavation, and revision are as important as application. The works evolve, layer by layer, and take on subtle sculptural qualities that invite closer inspection, perhaps especially touch.
My studio practice and the art that emerges from it provide a space for creative compulsion, personal contemplation, and escapism. I start with sketches but anticipate and even relish divergence during the trajectory of any given piece. My best work is not so much planned as it is revealed through experimentation, failure, and letting go of precious or predetermined notions about the final product.
Matthew Hull is a mixed media artist residing in Topeka, KS. In 2013, he earned a B.F.A. in Visual Art at the University of Kansas. His work recently appeared in the “12 x 12 Exhibition” at the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, KS (juried by artist Hong Chun Zhang.)
See my work in Studio Visit Vol. 48.