Meet Matt Dowling | Artist, designer, author.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Dowling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, how do you think about risk?
Having grown up in a ‘risk-averse’ environment, the idea of taking chances, actually embarking on a journey that may result in…..nothing but wasted time and effort, is new to me. My parents both worked very hard within a system which encouraged falling into line and playing by the rules. Honestly, there was no room for risk/reward behavior in their world. My parents couldn’t afford to lose. And now that I’m a parent, it’s easy to see why mom and dad took the safe route. The established ‘work your ass off and you’ll get paid for it’ system we’re all taught, provided the safety, security, and a predictability that they needed in order to raise a family. For the longest time, that’s all I knew. The thought of starting my own business, of potentially going broke if it failed, was never really on the table when it came time to commit to a career. To maintain my sanity, I played it safe and taught art in public school for almost 30 years.

That’s the thing with risk. I think it depends on a person’s belief in themselves; their ability to change direction and adapt when situations demand it. The fact is, for the longest time, I didn’t have the confidence, the trust in myself to venture into the unknown. Thoughts of what ‘could’ happen if it failed always drowned out thoughts of what could happen if it succeeded. I thought it was wisdom, but now I understand that fear of failure guided most of my life’s important decisions. Too much paralysis by analysis, I guess.

Risk, to me, boils down to answering a few key questions before taking the dive. Who stands to gain or lose with your risk taking? What benefits, should you succeed, will come to those involved in the venture? What is your definition of success? How will you know you’ve succeeded? And the most important question; Why is this important to you? We need to ask ourselves why we’re willing to take risks. I suppose that risk taking requires a heart-felt commitment to the cause in order to muster up the energy and burn the calories necessary to make it happen.

It took a while, but at age 57, I’m finally transitioning away from the limiting beliefs and fear that prevented a sincere exploration of options. It’s not so much that I’m conquering the fear of failure, but more that being true to myself and what I want to express has finally outweighed the need for acceptance. Embracing the process of redefining myself, of daring to publicly share little parts of myself in my art, carries with it the benefit of self realization. Dropping the guards reveals what’s worth exploring with a paint brush. Process orientation brings bravery.

Money would be nice, but money is our universally accepted and easy-to-see measure of success. My hope is that this transition from teaching to working artist, this risk, forces a deep dive into my view of things. If I don’t get rich, I’d like to be more self actualized by making things. I’m very guarded and too concerned about others’ opinion of me as a person, and it still shows in artwork that is often strong in painting technique, but safe in subject matter and free of creative risk. Nobody wants to appear flawed, and even the most calculated of risks can expose our most hidden flaws. I can think of no better way of learning about myself than going to uncomfortable places where utter failure is a possibility. Only then, will an authentic voice emerge in my artwork.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It’s not so much a happy place as it is a mindful place. It’s unavoidable that art is the physical result of reality passing through the filter of life experience and the artist’s mental state, and mine is no exception. I’ve spent most of my life exploring different applications of paint and mixed media, trying to hone my technique while waiting for life altering inspiration to sweep over and take control. I’m now discovering that, at least for me, inspiration doesn’t seek me out and succumb to my whims. It reveals itself in the mirror.

I recently spent time going through some of my old portfolios, dating back 35 years to projects in college. A common thread through all of my work has been the quest to master the formal characteristics of art; you know, effective use of line, shape, space, balance…etc. It’s the stuff that academics find easy to grade. I should know. I spent almost 3 decades as an art teacher evaluating my student’s work based largely on their use of art elements and design principles. They represent the closest thing to objectivity in art; a commonly agreed upon and explainable criteria for grading the most subjective of human endeavors. Personal expression is, sadly, too often overlooked in academia. It’s taken over thirty years to escape these shackles of formal theory to begin expressing an idea on paper and canvas, but this new path is an exciting one. I’m looking forward to the journey.

The American photographer, John Szarkowski, stated that artists practice their craft either looking through a window, or while looking at a mirror. For most of my career, I sought pleasant views framing the outside world through a window to create decoration with some measure of technical merit that would be pleasing to the eye, but never very thought-provoking or confrontational. Like all art, my recent work is beginning to resonate at the human frequency unique to our time in the now. Rather than hide from it, I’m beginning to confront the human vibrational frequency head on, looking at myself and view of things introspectively in a mirror.

If I’m being honest, one of the glaring weaknesses of my portfolio is the divergent nature of the work. I sort of wanted it all, learning a variety of approaches to the painting medium. Achieving a certain effect with the paint brush was always satisfying. It resulted in the ability to paint realistically, but lacked substance. The noise of everyday living interfered with my ability to express anything sincere or meaningful. There was never any time for a deep dive into a subject. I think that’s why, for the longest time, my work focused more on painting technique than honestly spilling my guts onto a canvas. Things are settling down in life now, which frees me to reflect on what I want to say in my work.

I’m excited about where my work is going right now. For the first time, I’m using a mirror to confront the viewer, rather than comfort them, and it’s invigorating. I see our man-made environment as existing in a state of chaos. The conflict between our need for control, and nature’s randomness, is expressed everywhere we look in the gridded, ninety degree angles of the world we’re building. Nature, to me, is the closest thing to perfection that I can think of. What we’re doing to it just breaks my heart. And making things worse, I’ve actively contributed to the damage happening all around us. This hypocrisy is a difficult thing to confront, but something I need to explore in my art if I’m to come to terms with the only lifestyle I know, but one which wreaks so much havoc on the environment.

I’m about two months into this new venture, painting two or three pieces a week on cheap paper while I hone this mixed media technique. I think I’m about ready to take the next step and let this play out on larger canvases, but we’ll see where it goes. Either way, it’s been a refreshingly honest and energetic journey into the unknown. I have no clue how this ends up, but my hope is to come out on the other side a more enlightened, less destructive human.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
While Denver’s cultural scene is growing, I’d probably take my friend outside first. The Colorado front range has so much to offer. It’s an outdoor playground with so many places to explore, I’m not sure where we’d start our tour. A requirement would be an adventurous spirit, or they probably wouldn’t be my friend. So let’s start at Red Rocks Amphitheater, with an air guitar performance on the same stage as U2’s ‘Under a Blood Red Sky’ show from the early 80’s, followed by a hike through the towering Dakota sandstone rock formations. There’s nothing else like it on planet Earth. We’d finish the day with a dinner at the Morrison Inn, located right outside RedRocks Park. Killer Mexican food and margaritas would be the perfect way to refill our tanks.

Weather permitting, I’d take my friend on a drive to the top of Mt. Evans. It has the highest paved roadway in North America, only about 2 hours from Denver, and views so vast I sometimes think I can see the curvature of the Earth.

If my friend didn’t appreciate modern art, I’d make it a point to try and sell them on the idea. We’d go the Denver Art Museum and its impressive contemporary art collection. There, I’d do my best to explain the merits of what so many do not understand. I love aesthetic thinking, and would love the chance to brush up on my art thinking. Then we’d walk to the 16th Street Mall, spend too much money on shit we didn’t need, then grab a burger at an outdoor diner. I couldn’t tell you which one because I’m not a foodie, but I’d probably tell my friend these are the best burgers in Colorado.

At some point, we’d have to catch a Nuggets basketball game. I’ve been a fan for almost 50 years, and I’d sell my friend on the idea because this honestly is the best Nuggets team I’ve ever seen. C’mon. They have the back to back league MVP (Nikola Jokic) and two all-star caliber players returning from injury. This should be a historic season if all goes as planned, but that’s a big if.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my parents, who trusted me enough to paint murals of castles and vintage WWII fighters on our basement walls. God, I wish I could go back and see that F4U Corsair I painted in 5th grade……

Shoutout to my wife, Stacey, whose belief in my artistic abilities keeps me going when I start doubting myself. She’s made it possible for me to explore techniques and themes that come from the heart, whether those pieces sell or not.

Website: https://www.mdowlingcreative.com

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdowlingcreative/

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