Art is nothing without passion, at least according to Matthew Madden it is.
Madden is a junior who was accepted into the School of Art & Design spring 2021 semester.
According to Madden, the process of being accepted into the program at WCU was very daunting. This was because Madden said there were only five people who reviewed his portfolio. He felt as if there were more people reviewing his work, there would have been less stress over the process.
“It was a relieving feeling” knowing that he was accepted into the program said Madden.
Maddens love for art derives from comic books he read as a kid. The different styles of art within comic books interested him and it was what started his art career. He remembers starting his art journey when he was only in kindergarten when he started drawing and then later in middle school when he started to paint.
His art primarily focuses on painting with a pop art style. Although most of his work is pop art, his art is diverse in many different styles such as semi realism and expressionism. Due to the diversity, Madden likes to put all these style together to make “an interesting and unique style” said Madden.
Even though Madden is producing work continuously for either school or for his own personal interest, there are sometimes when he encounters artist block. This term defines a period of time when artists have no motivation to continue their work. Most artists have experienced this feeling at one point or another and it can be hard to get out of it. To help with artist block Madden looks through previous work that he has done or art his peers are doing to try and find inspiration for his next work of art.
Madden plans to continue art throughout his life. He wants to open an art studio and gallery where other artists can showcase their work.
One of the most important things about art that Madden mentioned was that art should be personal.
“Unless you make is personal, it won’t necessarily be as good,” said Madden. “Like you can make quality work, but there is a different level of quality when it is personal. And I think that is really important.”
To see more of Maddens work, visit his website. View the video below to learn how he works on his art.
