Matthew Best

My current body of work aims to find new ways of depicting the body, or more accurately, being a body; one that is subject to internal and external forces, desire, pain and pleasure. Forms and colors within the pieces conflict with one another pushing and pulling highlighting this conflict.

The inspiration for this has been my study of yoga. As my studies of yoga deeper, my awareness of my body, both positive and negative has expanded.

The show runs from November 5-26, with an opening reception on Friday, November 5, 6-9pm.

I hope you can come check out my newest body of work, most of which has never been exhibited.

GALLERY SHOW: OCTOBER 1 - OCTOBER 20, 2010
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010, AT 5:00PM
Silpe Gallery, Hartford Art School
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117

Half, 2010. acrylic on panel, 8 by 8 inches

Installation shot of Suburban Foraging in Public Spaces in Open Air @ the Nave Gallery, opening today, running until September 26.

http://artsomerville.org/nave/2010/openair.html

The section to the left is my foraging activities in 2009, each vertical column represents the month. The images are arranged chronologically (more or less...)  It begins in February of 2009 and ends in November 2009. It expands and contracts with the coming of spring and summer. The right section is a portion of 2010, still under development.

Detail shot:

 The installation consists of multiple deconstructed sketchbook pages. I take these sketchbooks with me as I go out to parks, yards (with permission...) and I sketch what I find there and/or document the plants that I harvest there. Each page encapsulate an experience, a plant  I found, the weather, smells, anything that makes that experience unique. They serve as both a diary and a calender that I can refer back to again and again.

Here are a few images from today's "Coffee with the Artists" event at Las Manos Gallery (http://www.lasmanosgallery.com/).

The show has been extended for another month, with new work (including 8 more of my drawings) available.