MATES

Thursday, February 3 —Friday, February 25, 2005

OPENING RECEPTION:
Thursday, February 3, 2005, 8pm—10pm

Mates is a series of portraits of Edward Matlock’s friends, couples from the Seattle area. He has taken photographs of each subject individually and then combined them in ways of his choosing. Some stare the viewer down with an air of uncomfortable intimacy and others gaze lovingly at his or her partner. All are fictionalized situations, interpreted in accordance with the artists understanding of the nature of the relationship.

Matlock’s pop-influenced pieces are carefully hand painted on Baltic birch plywood, drawing attention to the juncture between the mass produced image and the handmade artwork. The exposed wood grain exists in stark contrast to his graphic forms and hard line style. He says of his work, “The similarities in line between my image and the wood grain seem to pop up in every piece, even though I usually only plan the image around any flaws or knots in the board. The grain and color of the wood gives the work something it couldn't achieve on a solid color or painted background.”

Image Credit: Reno-has-a-posse. 2004. Acrylic on Baltic birch. 24 x 36 inches.