When were you first drawn to your art form?
I have been doing art for as long as I can remember, but I was introduced to oils by artist friend Gabrielle Pool back in her Annandale studio. I fell in love with everything about the movement, texture and flexibility of the medium and how it lent itself to the way I create art. My practice now is the evolution of playing with oils on canvas.
How would you describe your art?
Raw, a flood of emotional energy, purging. Texture you want to touch.
Does your studio reflect any personal traits?
I am based on the south coast of Sydney at Stanwell Park, but I practice out of my studio above the iconic Scarborough Hotel. I have been upstairs in the pub for 10 years. My studio is messy and kind of frantic, but it’s how I paint – quite different to how I am in my everyday life.
Did you study fine arts, or are you self-taught?
I am self-taught, which I find a blessing. My art is the result of years and years of practice, time spent on the brush and blades, experimenting with mediums and finding my own individual style and process.
What does a typical day in the studio involve, and what’s one ritual you can’t do without?
My day begins with me slipping into my bib and brace overalls and my boots, music, coffee, looking out the window at the ocean. With 5 to 8 works usually going at once, I pick up a dirty brush and begin grappling with old paint that hasn’t yet dried on the table, and this process can carry on into the night. Some days may result in what I see as a series of bad strokes, so I leave to go surfing. It’s all part of my process. The one ritual I can’t do without is the freedom to make a mess.
What draws you to your subject matter?
My subject matter is mostly the face and what it tells through the texture of the paint. I’m drawn to it as a way of moving energy through myself.
What’s something people may not know about what it’s like to work with oils?
I almost always use oils, and a wax medium or linseed, and people are often surprised by how long my works take to dry, being so thick and textured.
Is there anything you’re currently working on?
I have just finished a 17-piece commission for Freyja in Melbourne. So, for now, I’m just in the studio as often as I can be, throwing paint around for a new body of work that will be exhibited in 2024.
What is your dream artistic project?
Huge linens and unlimited oils combined with a massive warehouse to create a joint commission series for public display.
Above: Artist Matthew Gilletti. Photo: White Flag. Courtesy: the artist.
