Who or what is inspiring you these days? What’s shaping your thinking?

I am constantly inspired by Louis Fratino’s tender paintings, by Morteza Khakshoor’s sculptural approach to figuration, and I recently fell in love with Kevin Sabo’s bold and edgy characters. Inspiration for my work comes from my community, my husband, and most often, moments of my own daily routines and rituals.

Do you feel you are more instinctual or intentional when you create?

The process at the beginning of a new work is very instinctual. I make multiple, very loose, sketches for an idea. In the sketchbook I explore options for composition, posing, and design of my figures within a scene. Even when I am drawing the ‘final’ design/composition at full scale on the blank page or board, I keep it loose and allow myself to feel it out until I am happy. Once this happens, every step forward is very intentional, careful, and precise.

Your work is described as creating a world “where everyone is welcome to step inside”. How does inclusivity factor into the aesthetic decisions you make, if at all?

The technicolour palette in my work, combined with my geometric, Cubist-coded, approach to figuration prioritizes design over life-like representation, which results in a layer of ambiguity which I enjoy playing with. I think the visual language of my work lends itself to allow viewers to project themselves onto the figures I depict regardless of whether they identify with the same demographic.

You often depict intimate, everyday moments in a way that feels widely or easily shared. What interests you about that blurring between public and private?

I am very interested in depicting moments that are innately human but often overlooked, forgotten about, or kept private. I think, as an artist predominantly concerned with the male figure, it excites me to show my figures in states of vulnerability, intimacy, and softness —which often occur in the privacy of one’s home. Historically the male figure has been used in art to promote traditional ideals of masculinity. Exploring the softer side of the male experience is much less mined, and provides an important perspective to counter the toxic social media culture growing within ‘The Manosphere’.

What do you want people to think or feel as they flip through the pages of your book?

I would like people to feel delighted, amused, and seen. I would like my queer viewers to feel celebrated.

Can you think of one piece of good advice someone gave you, and who said it?

“Make the art YOU want to see.” I don’t remember where I first heard this (it’s probably been said countless times by countless people) but it’s been a guiding mantra throughout developing my practice as an artist.

What is one thing you want to accomplish this next year?

My first solo show with a gallery (stay tuned, it’s in-progress).

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

A solo exhibition with an institution.

Matthew Walton’s Website

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