LINE BY LINE

Drawings and Paintings By Matthew J. Mahoney
February 1st – 13th
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 5th 2:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.

Matthew J. Mahoney - 12/13/04
Artist Statement

Everyone at some point in their lives has drawn something, and with varying results. In most cases, whether the artist is skilled and experienced or simply a novice scribbler, he or she typically decides what they are going to draw before they begin drawing it. In my experience this approach, though successful in many cases, could not be more wrong. When the preconceived image or goal of the piece is in one’s mind the quality of the drawing is most often rated by its resemblance to that goal. With such a specific reference point it is quite easy to regard the drawing as bad, incorrect, or to completely disregard the piece in crumpled rejection if it does not resemble what it was intended to. These “bad drawings” lead to not only the dissatisfaction of the artist but one can argue to deforestation as well as we try and try again. The failure to recognizably transfer what the artist sees with their eyes or even in their heads onto paper is the most influential factor in discouraging anyone from expressing him or herself artistically. And so it begins, countless people rejecting their artistic potential simply because they can not draw. The “I can’t even draw a straight line people” expand and grow whenever anyone feels they have failed at the most basic and ancient of artistic expressions, drawing.

After years of experience in drawing and while attending art school I was surprised to learn that the drawings that most intrigued me were the small doodles I did while bored in my academic classes. This was not the kind of high art I had anticipated admiring. I began to explore this style of drawing trying to understand what exactly I found so intriguing about it. In time I would realize that the most exciting aspect of the work was that these drawing were started without any idea of what they would end become. They were drawings without any expectations of subject matter, allowing them to be free and improvisational.

These drawings are made–up of lines that are constantly reacting to each other as they connect and intersect and shapes and images begin to emerge from within them. Often, figures begin to pop-up through the course of a drawing. This allows the possibility for a narrative element to unfold as the gestures of and the distance between the characters insinuates a relationship between them when mixed with the perception of the viewer and a bit of imagination. The thoughtless subject matter didn’t appear to be anything like the kind of imagery or relationships I would ever consciously render. The free flowing and subconscious nature of the work can be related to stream of consciousness writing of authors and poets and helped prevent me from editing or blocking-out certain images. The drawing process ideally moves too fast for editing so you are racing just beyond the grasp of your own censorship.

Admittedly, as a result of this approach my drawings can easily become a barrage of disturbing imagery, a “Where’s Waldo” of misshapen bodies and sordid sensuality. The work often comes from such a strange and unrecognizable place within me that upon completion of any piece I often feel like a viewer myself, also like with anyone that has drawn, with varying results.