Mathew Hooker Artist

ARTISTS STATEMENT

Hooker is primarily a painter working with acrylics on canvas. His works are an attempt to find the truth of the lived experience. Each picture represents a journey, or more precisely an exploration into both the landscapes and seascapes he observes and, the recesses of his memory. He simultaneously considers the observed reality, personal experience, memory and imagination giving us more than a window into a world but also a version of an environment filtered through a consciousness. He allows the image to evolve throughout the process and uses a ‘whatever it takes’ approach to best convey his interpretation of the subject matter.

Hookers preoccupation with the natural environment and the ocean has been nurtured by a lifetime of surfing around the world. The ocean for him is a teacher, a place of solace, and a constant escape to regain perspective. Hence, the continual presence of the ocean and emotional undertones throughout his works.

Painting for Hooker is a way to explore and workshop through his lived psychological and emotional experiences. His choice of subject matter, his compositions and approach to painting are carefully managed to challenge and offer insights into habitual ways of perception.