Matti Paints - Subject Brittanie

So I haven't done this before, but I really wanted to for this piece.

Now there are several paintings that I've done that I love. This was easily one of them. My immediate reaction after I finished it was "Wow... I did that?"

I guess a part of this goes back to my own personal insecurities (which I speak of in detail HERE), but when I finished this, I really felt like I had made something special. Something awesome. Something I could REALLY be proud of.

NOW, maybe I should take this back to the beginning.

Look! It's Brittanie!
She works with me at the Hot Oven and we generally get along famously. We've only had a few shifts together, but this girl has already kicked into the mode of surrogate little sister.
We joke. We laugh. Mostly that's about it.

Anyhow when I told her about my project she jumped at the chance and actually pitched me an idea.

"So, do you think you could do something like starry night?"
OMFG
For serious? For true?
I don't think I can properly express how excited I was at the prospect of doing this piece.
Van Gogh has long been one of my major artistic influences. His use of colour and form are incredible and I LOVE working with new material.

So obviously the colours were picked for us and we just had to find a suitable playlist. Turns out she loves Red Hot Chili Peppers so we had a good base to start from. I had to introduce her to Petty Victories because that's just what friends do, and I added Tonight Tonight to the list simply because the song fits beautifully in with the painting style.

Combine this with an extremely photogenic model and we had our shot in a matter of minutes. I am in love with this painting and am so glad that I got to have this experience with Brittanie. She's a really amazing person and I'm so glad that I've got to meet her.

Is the picture an exact replica of Starry Night? Of course not. No one can copy his genius in twenty minutes. But working with what I had, I have to say I am so proud, not only of Brittanie but of myself for being able to do something so close to the original in so short a period of time.

I could go into paragraphs upon paragraphs about this piece so maybe it's best I end it here. But I am SO thankful and proud of this piece and this canvas. Thanks for letting me be your big bro for a day!

Matti Paints - Subject Ben

So Ben is a friend of Kevin's who saw the project and agreed to be a part of it.
And I am very glad he did.

First off, once again I forgot to take a before picture which is disappointing. I really need to remember to do that.

However, one of the most exciting things about this particular canvas is that Ben is number 50.

Yes. I have now officially done 50 separate canvases. Each  more difficult than the last. I've grown. The project has grown. What started as an idea and a very confused expression from Wes has grown into this with momentum still going strong.

So needless to say I was very excited working with Ben. I couldn't have asked for a better canvas. He was friendly and from the moment he entered my apartment, we were both at ease and enjoying the experience. Plus he chose Tina Turner. That made my day.

Ben was surprisingly enjoyable to paint. I ended up creating patterns on him that I hadn't made before. His face ended up with solid line work which is a style I haven't experimented with too much yet which ended up being a pleasant surprise. The back piece featured a giant spiral that was outlined in Celtic designs. His arms were a teal and pink mix of Aztec patterns followed by a chest piece that looked like armor.

So of course we choose a picture that features him as a pose from the side.

Awe well, I'm still very happy with the end product! 

To support the project check out the KICKSTARTER here to help us get a gallery space!
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Matti Paints - Subject Luke

Luke was an interesting surprise for me.

He is someone who I have known for yeas, although we'd never actually got a chance to meet before. We've been great friends and had many talks, but never got to meet face to face.

It's amazing how quickly that changed when I got a paint brush in my hands.

So this is Luke.

If you're wondering why I don't have a proper before shot it's because I forgot to take one. This is turning into a very bad habit of mine, and one I promise I am trying to break.

Anyhow, meeting Luke was a good experience. We have a lot in common and our conversation was instantly enjoyable. Under the layers of awkwardness he's a really interesting person.

When Luke was 17, he was diagnosed with cancer. As a result, he's become a strong vibrant individual and I really wanted to reflect that. The colours he chose (only three I should mention) were very iconic. Blue, red and yellow. It's the most basic colour scheme you could get. But because of his history I really wanted to capture him in a new and unique way. Considering I got the three most basic colours, the fact that the colours never mix makes this one of the more interesting portraits I've done. It's oddly balanced and the colours on his skin reflect an almost super-hero-esque quality. 

Painting Luke was a joy. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity and I hope he enjoyed the final result as the rest of the process.

Matti Paints - Subjects Zane and Ryan

So one of the most difficult aspects of this project has been the group pictures.
There are many problems that arise when you decide to do two people in the span of time intended for one person. The most obvious being each person will only get 15-20 minutes of paint time meaning that each piece is half as detailed so you need to be extra careful in how you paint each person. Other factors come into play of course; how long will each song be? How will these colours work together? How do I divide the colours?
Just many issues.

OH MY GOD

So when Ryan aproached me about the possibility of shooting with his friend Zane, I was enthused, but to be completely honest I was nervous. 
 First off, they're two very different people. How would they photograph together? Their skins are very different, how could I find combine the paints in a way that would work beautifully on both skin tones? How would the paints react to a darker skin tone?
Many questions.
Many fantastic reactions.
I've known Ryan for a while now, and he's always a bundle of joy and enthusiasm. He's loud and proud in the best way and I really admire him for that. He's a delight so I knew anyone he brought over to be painted with would have just as much energy and enthusiasm as him. And Zane did.
Throughout the experience they had me in stitches, and while they both were nervous at the prospect and the final product, the painting process itself was a delight.
Ryan chose the colours, and as such they're all very bright and fun. Pink, blue, yellow, green, black and white. Almost a perfect primary coat to work with.

Their songs were varied, with me and Zane bonding over Maria Mena (which is just awesome in my books) and Ryan bringing a selection of dance pop tunes.
Overall the experience was very enjoyable. I greatly enjoyed their company and the picture ended up encapsulating a really soft, beautiful side.
Funny how lately the picture I think I'm painting never seems to be the painting I end up with.
I wonder what that's about.

Matti Paints - Subjects Angela and Jordan

This is Angela. (And Jordan in the background)

These are two friends from way back in North Bay days. Essentially I met Angela and Jordan while I was doing a production of Godspell with the Trinity church up there. They were 14. I was older. By a fair amount. But hey! The production was fun, and how many times does a guy get to play Jesus? If the answer is any more than one, you might have a god complex.

Angela was the one to contact me about getting painted, and given our history I eagerly agreed. I mean, how many times do you get to paint an old friend?

So since they're both new to the city, I figured I'd welcome them the best way I knew how.

Angela went first and between the two of them she's certainly the one I knew better. We would often talk back in the Godspell days about everything. Plus I vividly remember a day when I had to take the train south to Toronto when I had a tonsil infection, and Angela was there with her family. Her mom nursed me through the occasion with advil and Buckleys. Plus on the trip I got to visit her grandfathers restaurant and got to eat for free. (it was a good trip)
Plus, he made an amazing rum and coke. I'm still sure to this day that he used food colouring instead of soda.

Anyway, here's her playlist.
 No major surprises but we got a few good bonding moments over Cranberries, Beck and Alanis.
It was a great experience, and the fact that she chose purples and blues as her base colours, plus our history, it made for a really great experience. The paint job was very easy and in the end we ended up with a very beautiful piece.

What made this particular paint job so interesting was the open-door concept. It was never just me and Angela, or me and Jordan. It was me, Wes, Rob, Erin, Jordan and Angela.  My home was a hot bed of activity and as a result it became a very social and enjoyable experience. I'm not sure I'd be able to do this sort of thing with a stranger, but since everyone who came today was someone I'd already had a connection to, I figured I could get away with it.

So Jordan is a very different situation than Angela. Where with Angela I had a strong bond with her, Jordan was someone I never really knew extremely well. Sure, I always liked her and thought she was fun, but we never really got to spend any time together.

That being said, once I actually got a listen to the playlist she created, not knowing her better was something I instantly regretted. I mean come on! She chose Ingrid, Bowie AND Fleetwood Mac? How were we not amazing friends before?

Her colour choices were all very bright and helped to serve her positive outlook and spirit. She's a little bit awkward, but I really enjoyed getting the chance to get to know her better.

The painting process started in a very unusual way. I started at her mouth and did three diagonal lines up to her ear. Something I've never done but I ended up with a very unique patchwork design that I haven't done before. I really enjoy getting surprised by the process.

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to paint these two. It was a very fulfilling experience getting to spend time with these two, and a great way to get to see old friends.

To support the project please visit my KICKSTARTER page to donate and share with your friends. 

Matti Paints - Chris and Alex

Some of you might recognize Alex. And as a result I imagine you will probably recognize his brother Chris. 
Yes, I got a pair of twins to do this project.

I was quite excited at this prospect. Not just because of the fact that I love Alex and Chris to bits, but also because I was so fascinated to paint them. I wondered how different they would end up looking. Would it effect the outcome? Would I even be able to tell them apart at the end?
The task was simple and exciting so when Alex suggested it, I jumped at the chance and began to formulate a plan.
I was also curious to see how Alex would turn out again. He's the first person other than myself who I've now got to paint more than once. I was curious to see what would change about the painting. Would the painting be the same? Would there be emerging patterns? Exactly how much of the art is driven by the circumstances and how much is situational? How much of the person am I really capturing?
It was a daunting but exciting challenge and I couldn't wait to start.
About an hour before we started, I got a call from Alex telling me that him and Chris had got in a fight and he wasn't sure he could go through with it.
Excellent, I thought. An added level of tension. I was getting really excited to paint at this point.
For a million different reasons I could've taken any part of this and turned it into a painting. Anger. Brothers. Twins. It was an exciting prospect and just getting better.

In the end, I liked the palate they chose. I felt the music and colours really reflected who they were. Alex, the slightly more uptempo one, and Chris the one who is slightly more serious and natural one.
Around song 8, I was running out of paint and so I ended up thinning the paint I had left considerably and working with them in much sheerer coats. As a result they both look a lot more natural than some of my other ones and a part of me really likes that about the image.
They both look like brothers still. They share the same dark eyes and cheeky smirk, but each is reflected with their own character. Chris slightly more sophisticated, Alex, a bit more structured. Or maybe they're reflecting each other's characters just a little bit too well.
In the end I was thrilled at the experience and would gladly paint them again if given the opportunity.

Matti Paints - Subject Ryan

Ryan is another person I met through Statlers who agreed to be a part of this project.
I feel that needs to be said.
Without Statlers I wouldn't have had close to half of my participants.
So thank you Statlers! I appreciate it!

Anyhow, Ryan came along and when we began he immediately started by choosing green, purple and orange. I knew that there would be issues. In the end I was right but all in all he's been one of my most fascinating challenges.
His chest hair was very dense and as a result, like Nathan and Scott , I decided that I would try to work around it and just try to focus on the areas of least resistance.
Fortunately it made me focus a lot of my time and efforts on his face and as a result I think that his face work is some of the best I've done in this entire project. I love the British feel of it. I love the amazing detail I could put on him and on his skin.
In the end I found that a lot of the details were going into playful swirls and an almost science-y vibe to his chest which looked something like a refraction mixed with a prism.

Pictured: Height of maturity

I really enjoyed the experience, and despite the challenge I have to say I really liked how the canvas turned out.
In the end though, as we were selecting his picture, I had one choice and he had another. His choice showed him in a nice way with a smile, but I didn't feel that it truly captured who he was. The Ryan I met was inquisitive and humorous, and it almost felt like he was testing me as much as I was discovering him. There was a friendly friction between our choices and while I (of course) went with my instincts (he eventually conceded of course. They all eventually concede)
I really feel that my choice for his picture showed him as he really is. Kind, caring, curious and introspected with just a touch of defensiveness to keep you on edge.

I think Ryan was one of the most complex characters I've got to work with so far and I greatly enjoyed the experience. 

Matti Paints - Subject Jeff

I had tried to get Jeff to do this for about a month before we could finally settle down a time to do the painting.

I've been noticing some patterns in my work lately and when Jeff sat down for me to do the painting, I had made a conscious choice to not bring certain elements into Jeff's painting.
Regardless many of the patterns repeated regardless but hey.
Number one was I was very pleased with Jeff's colour palate. Many people lately have been working with the tertiary colours. Lots of purples and greens and oranges. Beautiful colours to be sure but they can be a hassle for someone who is so used to working with blues and reds. That's my comfort zone. So when Jeff chose red, yellow, blue, black and silver I was ecstatic. At last! Someone who gravitates towards primaries! It's a little bit exciting when things like that happen.
Secondly I've been doing a ton of line work. Like a lot. Like too much. I think everyone from Caity onwards has been painted primarily in my line style. I really wanted to break away from that and work with some solids again. Lately the one who has caught my eye as being perhaps one of the strongest has been CHAD whose paint job looks smooth and three dimensional.
While in the end I don't think Jeff ended up being as solid as some of the other ones, I really enjoy the conglomeration between his line work and the solid paint. Also reincorporating spirals into my work I think it going to be my new goal. I do love how they look and they hold a lot of significance for me.

Overall, I really love how Jeff worked out. His skin took to the paint beautifully and he was so relaxed and at ease from the moment the painting started that everything went so smooth. I like to think this was the result of his relaxation and not simply because of my experience. I didn't really know Jeff other than the occaisional friendly gesture but after painting him, I have to say that I really enjoyed him as a person.
One of the biggest joys of this project is getting to meet and see people in a whole new light. It's rather delightful.
So here he is folks! Jeff! 

Matti Paints - Subject Jackie

When painting Jackie I was up against a unique nemesis: exhaustion.
When I traveled to North Bay I did most of these canvases in one day.

Katie in the morning, Brea and Mandy in the afternoon, and I didn't get to my next paintings until after I'd gone and met Jackie, Nate and Heather at the bar. We didn't get back until my place until two and considering each painting takes about two hours it was pushing 3-4 by the time I even got to begin Jackie's painting. Initially I was afraid this would impact the painting, and to an extent it did, but the biggest impact it had was on the photograph!
I was lucky with Nate and Heather because it was Jackie who was there to oversee everything.
With Jackie, the photo responsibility was on my shoulders and as a result, I ended up with many, many blurry photos.
However, if there's one person who can still look pretty in a blurry shot it's Jackie. Her heart shines through everything she does.
I'm happy with how her paint job turned out. It reminds me of some sort of Celtic fairy.
I wish I could've got a better shot to truly do her and the paint job justice, but despite the troubles I'm glad it turned out as well as it did. Jackie is a true friend and will always shine on in my heart. I think she looks beautiful and am very happy that she decided to be a part of this project.

Matti Paints - Subject Caity

To say my trip to North Bay was a bit of a roller coaster would be a major under exaggeration.
I arrived on the bus to good weather. My sleep was good. Did a lot of writing. It was starting well.
I'd long made it clear that I intended to carry over my project not just to the city of Toronto but since I began I realized it would most likely spill over into every where I go form now on.
So I made an announcement on book-face and ended up with a varied collection of girls who wanted to be a part of it, so I wasted now time and began the next morning.
The adventure began with Caity.

 

 Thanks to Caity I managed to have many shows in North Bay. She served as my loyal stage manager and I eagerly await the day she moves to Toronto so that I know that I'll have someone who knows how to keep me on track and handle the chaos that inevitably comes through in these situations. 

Painting her was a nice experience. There's a lot of love between us and I feel like it came out right from the beginning. She chose a very soft palate which I think elevated the piece in a nice way and complimented who I know her to be. Soft with an edge.

Also noted that our musical tastes are fairly similar.

so apparently this was the colour of her childhood bedroom walls.

 As I began to paint her I began to get a sense of play out of her. I wanted to show her playful attitude sides and really compliment how she is as a person. I put down a base fairly quickly and ended up working with a lot of details. Certain features I really wanted to pop so I added things like the Van Gogh inspired lines, and the pseudo tribal patterns on her arms and face.

This was my first time doing this in somewhere other than my living room. Fortunately the process proved to be just as easy to do elsewhere which was a relief.  The result is the picture ends up being quite different as well, but it worked on a rather exceptional level. I like to think that I got to capture how much Caity has been an impact and a treasure in my life.

Matti Paints - Subject Alex

This is Alex.

We met at the coffee shop and in the short time I've got to know him, I have to say there is something very special about him.
He's very talkative, so one of the things I found so odd about this experience was he was quiet. Silent. Songs would pass and we wouldn't say a word. This was something that I was initially confused by, but the more time passed the more I hoped he was simply absorbing the experience. He's a very hard one to read, but I like to think that he enjoyed the experience. I hope he did. I don't know.

Many of Alex's songs were songs of longing or thankfulness. It was a very heavy playlist so I'm wondering if that played a part in it.
The strange thing was his colour choices were so vibrant and bold that the somberness almost flies in the face of them. It's a case of DESPITE the colours and the actions, the piece somehow still carries a feeling of sadness to it.

Or maybe the feeling is hope. Hope for what exactly I'm not sure, but there is a strange optimism to it as well.

Pictured: Moroseness

Funny how on this piece I'm really focusing on the outcome. The journey itself was a good one, and the end result was fun, but it's just a strange thought to think of how different the outcome was compared to what I was expecting.
To find out how to become a part of this project please contact me: HERE

Matti Paints - Catchup Pt. 2

Shannon and Hayley:

Painting these two was a blast. Learning from working with the sisters, I wanted to make sure that the colour choice was more limited, and the time was also more restrained.

We did many things differently for this one: For one, Shannon and Hayley each picked their songs for the other person, and when the song played, I had to paint the one who the song had been chosen for. Again, we went with ten songs since I figured it would be better to keep them together and it put pressure on me to work faster.

In the end I think I got peacocks. Two beautiful, lovely friendly peacocks. The experience itself was dynamic and exciting. And I have to laugh that there will forever be people who think them to be lesbians simply because I asked them to be painted together.

Kevin:
This is Kevin

I have long admired Kevin's talent and was very excited when I finally got the chance to paint him.

His colour choices were in my extreme comfort zone so I feel like I really got to explore my wild side and attempt to add a whole new level of detail to the pictures. However, I found the music to be a lot more somber than I was expecting which I think reflected a bit in the final product. I ended up giving him angel wings that ended up looking more like marble on his skin than anything else.

Presenting Kevin