By M.Sebastian Araujo

For some of us Art is a thing to come to gradually. It is a thing we plan to do it one day,but for others it is just the thing to do. Recently I had a chat with my good pal Matthew about that very topic; for him Art is a life’s work .He has tremendous creativity, style and talent!

 What in the World around you affects your Creativity?

 Sunset and sunrise. Music. Weather.  Bodies of water. The gaze in someone’s eyes.  The secrets of the body revealed through its posture. What it means for the soul to be bound in a physical form, the struggles and joys.  The human narrative, in solitude and society. Films from directors I admire. The wind in the trees. Color. Silence.The main thing is quiet and solitude.  It’s where I gather my best ideas.  Daily meditation helps to clear away the static.  

 What changes do you see in the ART scene today…?

 I imagine technological advances have afforded the most impact full changes, both in the way art is created and perceived as well as its accessibility. 

Why do people collect Art?

Art is an expression of the individual that affects each individual viewer in an unique way.  The reasons why one person chooses to purchase an artwork are as varied and vast as its responses.  I’m drawn to work that comes from a place of authenticity, that moves me in a way that’s both personal and universal.  It’s also got to respond to my aesthetic tastes.

Was there a  “shining lightbulb” moment in your life when you realized that you were an artist?

 I’m not sure if there was one moment.  I was raised an only child by a single mother so making art was a way to occupy myself from a very early age.  I was always happiest when making art, time would just sort of slip away when I was in my art trance.  I remember winning first prize in kindergarten for a drawing contest and was rewarded with a canister of tootsie rolls. I guess the signs were there from the get go, but the older I got, the further I moved away from art or perceiving myself as an artist.  It wasn’t until I relocated to Provincetown in my thirties that I began exploring art again.  I received such a positive response from the few people I shared my work with and then there was the opportunity to show at Four eleven Studios.  But at the end of the day, I know that I would continue to make art even if no one bought my work and I was unable to exhibit it.  Art making has become so essential to my life that I will not and cannot abandon it again.  If I had to pick one moment, it would be this realization.

 How hard is it for an Artist to survive in the world we live in today?

 How hard is it for anyone to survive in the world we live in today?  But fortunately, as an artist, you get to explore those challenges and respond to them in a cathartic way.

 What is it about Ptown that keeps you and other creative people living there or coming back ?

 There’s the sheer natural beauty, the ebb and flow of the tide. It’s also a place conducive to quiet contemplation, at least for half of the year, which I feel is very important to the creative process.  But ultimately it is in the molecules,something intangible and potent and undeniable.

Sometimes it would seem that a certain place and time attracts Artists and gives them a place to breath and live and flourish…Italy has its Florence,France its Provence.The USA has its Provincetown. That special place on the edge of  a long and sandy span of dunes, that after all these years and changes still inspires,draws and excites creative people from all around the world.

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